


The Scientific Method

by Charity Layne (JestaFairyOfPranks), JestaFairyOfPranks



Series: Desmitri Fam Fics [1]
Category: Layton Kyouju Series | Professor Layton Series
Genre: A lot of them - Freeform, Azran Legacy Spoilers, Demisexual Male Character, Des actually needs his glasses, Des bailed a boyfriend out of jail, Des watches Phantom of the Opera, Desmitri - Freeform, Dimitri has PTSD, Dimitri is Vegan, Dimitri went to prison, For all you UK folks that means Lost Future, Gen, I’ve probably mischaracterized Dimitri, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Modern AU, Name Change, Rare Ship, Rated mature for the kissing scenes, The year is 2020 but without the global pandemic, There will be spice, Unwound Future Spoilers, as does Des, aurora is my daughter now, des needs a hug, dont ask, headcannons, i accidentally made Dimitri an UwU shy boi, i can’t be bothered to research other time periods, i can’t bring myself to write smut, its Deslay with no incest, no betas we die like men, pansexual male character, shes just so precious, sorry about not putting that tag there earlier, takes place a few years after UF, there isn’t enough desmitri, there will be no sex, whoops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:20:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27473407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JestaFairyOfPranks/pseuds/Charity%20Layne, https://archiveofourown.org/users/JestaFairyOfPranks/pseuds/JestaFairyOfPranks
Summary: It’s been a few years since the Future London Incident, and Descole finally managed to do something the legal way for once. He takes this malnourished, good-looking scientist out of jail and begins trying to turn him into a boyfriend
Relationships: Desmond Sycamore/Dimitri allen, Dimitri Allen/Jean Descole, Jean Descole/dimitri Allen
Series: Desmitri Fam Fics [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2057361
Comments: 17
Kudos: 8





	1. The beginning

**Author's Note:**

> There are a lot of things here that are either headcannons, or mischaracterizations. Deal with it.  
> This is my comfort ship.  
> I had to edit this because I realized I made a stupid and didn’t remove something

👑🎭👑

“Who are you?”

“I’ll explain later. Just come with me, Dimitri.”

Descole grabbed the scientist’s arm and dragged him out of prison. The older-looking man stumbled, but eventually followed.

Descole eventually got to his car, and let Dimitri in the passenger’s seat.

“I don’t understand…” Dimitri seemed confused.

“You will eventually,” Descole said, starting up the car. As he drove to his house, he kept glancing at Dimitri through the corner of his eyes.

The other scientist clearly had been through something. He looked malnourished and old, although he most likely was younger than Descole himself. He put that knowledge away in his brain, taking a mental note to bring it up later.

Eventually, they arrived at Descole’s extravagant house.

Descole showed Dimitri inside. He sat Dimitri down on a comfy chair, and lit the candelabra on the coffee table. He sighed, and plopped down on the couch, maneuvering himself so that he was laid down with his legs crossed. He looked over at Dimitri, who seemed to be… scared.

“Hey, look alive,” Des said. He snapped his fingers, and that seemed to bring Dimitri back to reality. 

“So…” Dimitri said.

“So.” Des stated.

“You bailed me out of jail,” Dimitri said.

“I did do that,” Des agreed.

“And now I’m in your house.”

“That you are.”

“Why?”

Descole let out a laugh. He sat up, and clapped his hands. “We are both men of science,” he explained. “We both were involved in… some bad things. And we both have ambition. Honestly, I must tell you that as soon as I read your name in the papers I knew I had found a kindred spirit. I must admit, the time machine facade was well executed. Props to you.”

“Thank… you?” 

“Now,” Des said, standing up. “I’ll show you to your room.”

“Wait just one moment,” Dimitri said, “I don’t even know your name!”

“Ah, I knew i was forgetting something.” He sat back down. “My name is Jean Descole, but you can call me Des. I suppose i should let you introduce yourself.”

“I’m…” Dimitri seemed quite nervous, “Dimitri Allen. I’m a physicist. You probably know me from the Future London Incident, and the Time Machine Incident, and the other Time Machine Incident…”

Des laughed. “Oh, you did do that. Well, come on, I’ll show you to your room.”

Des led Dimitri to the guest room. He glanced at the other man’s face, seeing his eyes widen in surprise. 

“I know,” Des said, “It _is_ quite extravagant. Now, I understand you don’t own much, due to you, well, being in prison, but for now you can call this room yours. Do make yourself at home. You seem like the type of person to tinker with things, so I left part of one of my excavators over in the corner. Just relax, you’re safe here. Now, i’m going to work on something. I’ll be in my study if you need me. Before I go, however, I have one question. Can I call you Dimmy? I prefer to refer to people with nicknames, or last names. If you don’t feel comfortable with that, then now would be the time to speak up.”

“I… Don’t feel comfortable with nicknames right now,” Dimitri answered, “one reason being I am thoroughly confused and discombobulated at this situation… and I still don’t understand what’s going on.”

“Alright then, Dimitri,” Des said. “Well, enjoy yourself. I’ll be off.” And with a dramatic cape swoosh, he left the room.

He just hoped Dimitri didn’t know his true intentions…

🕐🕑🕒

Dimitri had no idea why he was here. Descole had claimed it to be because they had similar interests, but there _had_ to be better people to befriend than him. He looked around the room.

It was… Extra. That was the only way to describe it. Ornate decorations and velvet furniture. The bed, however, was simple. He looked closer at it, and found that Descole had left a note on it.

Dimitri spent a solid 10 minutes trying to decipher the chicken scratch that was the masked man’s handwriting. Eventually, he figured out that it was simply a welcome note.

**Welcome,Dimitri. I take it I didn’t chicken out if you are in fact reading this. Shit, he doesn’t need to know this. Well, ̷I̷ ̷h̷o̷p̷e̷ ̷y̷o̷u̷ ̷a̷r̷e̷n̷'̷t̷ ̷t̷o̷o̷ ̷d̷i̷s̷s̷a̷p̷o̷i̷n̷t̷e̷d̷ ̷b̷y̷ ̷m̷e̷ I hope you enjoy yourself here in my humble home. Wait, humble isn’t the right word. Shit, i'm bad at writing letters. THIS IS A NOTE NOT INTERNAL DIALOGUE!**

Dimitri chuckled, then set the note down. He walked over to examine the machine part that Descole seemed to think he would like. It appeared to be reminiscent of a leg of some mechanical sort. He looked closer, and discovered a hatch on the side of it. He pried it open, revealing an absolute mess of wires. He was just about to try and pull at some of the wires, when he heard someone speak behind him.

“What sort of things do you eat?” Descole had entered the room silently.

“Wha!” Dimitri was surprised. “How did you get here?”  
“Through the door, of course.” Dimitri couldn’t see his eyes, but he could catch a smirk on the older man’s face. “Now answer my question.”

“I… I’m vegan,” Dimitri said, “but other than that I don’t really have a preference for food,”

“Are you alright?” Des asked. The masked man put a hand to Dimitri’s forehead. “Your temperature seems alright… Your cheekbones are prominent, and your cheeks themselves are concave. Have you been eating alright? You seem malnourished. I don’t want you dying on me. Just think of something you might like to eat, then tell me. Seriously. I’m worried about you.”

“I… what?” Dimitri was even more confused. “You barely know me… i… what?”

“Just as I suspected,” Des said. “Don’t worry, you’re safe here. Now, i’ll think of something, but you _have_ to eat today, alright?”

“I…” Dimitri thought about it for a minute. He _was_ malnourished. He focused more on his work than his well being, even in prison. “I suppose you are right,” but Des had already left.

 _That man is strange,_ he thought to himself. He went back to tinkering with the metal thing, and before he knew it 2 hours had passed. 

“Dimitri,” he heard Descole’s voice call out, “Put the wires down and come down here. It’s time for dinner.”

Dimitri stopped what he was doing, and left his room. He eventually found the dining room, and was greeted by the smell of freshly cooked pasta. Des was sitting at the table, and was motioning for Dimitri to join him.

“Th… thank you,” dimitri said, sitting down across from Des. He took a bit of the pasta, and gasped. “This… this is really good,” he said, and des responded with a laugh.

“I saw what you were working on,” Descole said. “If you want a better space to mess with parts of my mechas, just tell me. I have a workshop that has a ton of different tools.” Dimitri looked puzzled, and des responded to that with “Oh, you don’t know about the Misthallery Specter, or the Ambrosia Incident, do you? Well, long story short, I lost my mind temporarily. Almost destroyed a town, yadda yadda. What’s important now, is that you are comfortable.”

“I still don’t understand why you helped _me,_ of all people.”

“Ah, you will eventually. Now, eat up. You should be well fed. Also well rested. I want you to be asleep before ten, alright? I don’t want you sleeping in too late.”

Dimitri was surprised by the other man’s caring nature. Not what he expected from him. When he finished his food, (des said he’d take care of the dirty dishes,) he went back to his room. He looked at the time, and realized it was 7:23 pm. He did not feel the slightest bit tired, so he opted to tinker more with the stuff in the corner. He turned the lights on, and began messing with the electronics. He wasn’t aware of just how much time had passed until someone turned off the lights.

“I thought I told you to be in bed by ten?” Des had once again entered the room silently. “It’s 11:30!”

“Ah!” Dimitri was surprised. He dropped what he was holding, and stood up.

“Now, go to bed, or I’ll have to take that thing away. I want you alive, so you should take care of yourself.” Descole left the room, flicking his cape behind him. 

Dimitri laid down in his bed, still not feeling all that tired, but fell asleep almost the instant he closed his eyes.

👑🎭👑

The next morning, Descole peeked into Dimitri’s room. The other man was already up. This was worrying to Des, as it was only 6 in the morning. He debated whether or not to go into the room and give Dimitri a stern talking-to, but ultimately decided against it. It _would_ take him a while to get used to his new life, possibly even longer once Des revealed his true plans to the man, so he decided to play it cool for at least a few more days. Instead, he busied himself in planning a schedule for Dimitri. Des thought that if Dimitri had an idea of the things he needed to do to ensure he wasn’t unhealthy, that the man would be easier to pick apart. Right now, he was just a confused mess. Not of use to Des. 

Eventually, Dimitri comes down for breakfast.

“He lives!” des joked. “Now, go sit at the dining room table, I’ll make breakfast. Did you get a good night's sleep? Did you actually go to sleep at all?”

“I did have a nice rest, yes,” dimitri said. “Th-thank you. Now… um… what is for breakfast?”  
“I was thinking bacon and eggs. It's easy to make, and it's healthy. I’ll go prepare it.”

”...did you completely forget that I said I was vegan?” Dimitri asked.

”oh shit, yeah I forgot,” Des responded. “Cereal, then.”

Des made breakfast, attempting small talk the whole way through. Dimitri was generally unresponsive, however. Eventually, the food was ready and Des sat down. He watched the other man eat, noting how he seemed to put each bite of food in his mouth begrudgingly. He studied Dimitri’s movements while eating his own food. Once they were both done, Dimitri tried to go back to his room.

“Ut-ta-ta,” Descole said, stopping Dimitri, “Before you go back to your room, which I assume you were going to do, I have something for you. Follow me.” Des led Dimitri to his own bedroom, and handed him a bag. “I went to the store and I got you some clothes. The bathroom is just down the hall. While you are there, take a shower. Then you can meet me in the basement workshop. You’ll know it when you see it.”

Then Descole left for the workshop. When he got there, he continued the construction of his newest contraption. He was looking forward to working on projects with Dimitri here. Speaking of Dimitri…

The man himself came into the room. He was wearing a simple grey-green turtleneck and blue jeans. His grey hair was still very wet, as expected from just coming out of the shower. He smiled weakly, and Des laughed.

“You already look better than you did yesterday,” He said to the other scientist. “Come here, i want to show you this.”

That day was filled mostly with talk of machines. They had lunch, of course, and when dinner time came, they had that as well.

Everything was going according to Descole’s plan. The next phase would start once morning came. Des couldn’t help but feel excited. When Dimitri turned in for the night, Des quietly followed him. He had become quite skilled in the art of stealth, so he was able to slip in and out of rooms without making a single sound. Once he saw that dimitri was just messing with things instead of sleeping, he did just that. 

“Honestly, Dimitri,” Des said, startling the other man, “I need you alive. And you need sleep to stay alive.”

“What do you mean,” Dimitri asked, “by “Need me alive?””

“You’ll find out in due time, my friend. First and foremost, you need to work on taking care of yourself. I respect your personal space and privacy, otherwise i probably would have slipped a sleeping drug into your tea. I have a plan, and you are a vital part of it. I can’t have you passing out or _dying_ because of my inability to take care of guests. Now, sleep. And if you wake up early again, go back to sleep. I won't let you sleep in, don’t worry.” and with that, Des left again.

🕐🕑🕒

Dimitri had a hard time sleeping that night.

What did Descole mean when he said he had plans? Was he just going to use dimitri like Clive did? Why? When he eventually did sleep, his dreams were nightmares of the time machine incident. Claire dying in his arms. Bill buying his way up the political ladder. Everything going terribly wrong. His nightmares just spiraled down and down into worse and worse memories. Then, he was woken with a start.

“Dimitri!” Descole had come into the room, and was shaking Dimitri. “Wake up!”

“What… time is it..” Dimitri said groggily. 

“It’s half past 8,” Descole answered. “I was going to get you up for breakfast. Get dressed. The day is starting and I need to tell you about my plans. You play a vital part in them.”

Des left, leaving Dimitri to get ready. He did just that, and met the masked man in the dining room.

“Ah, do sit down, Dimitri,” Descole said. “We have much to discuss.”

Dimitri sat down, and looked at the other man quizzically. “So… you said you have a plan?”

“Ah yes, that.” Des started eating his food. “I’ll get into that, but not before you eat. I need you to eat your food.”

Dimitri sighed, and ate. He really didn’t feel like it, but Descole insisted. Once done, he inquired once again about the supposed plan that he was to take part in.

“Before I tell you,” Descole said, “I should probably come clean about something… I… I am Desmond Sycamore.”

Dimitri gasped. Descole was the famous professor who published numerous studies pertaining to the Azran civilization?

“Very few people know this fact, but if this plan is to go onward, you must know. My persona away from home is almost always that of Desmond Sycamore. Now,” and descole moved to dimitri, “For this next bit of information, i’ll need you to close your eyes.”

“What?” Dimitri was more confused than ever. “I’m… I'm not sure I trust you… No offense, but I hardly know you and, well…”

“Oh I’m not going to hurt you,” Des said with a laugh. “Besides, this will only take a few seconds, then you can be on your way.”

Dimitri wasn’t entirely reassured, but decided to just go along. If something bad happened, he could always scream and try to run. Dimitri nervously closed his eyes. He heard Descole laugh. He felt something being pressed into his palm. Something that felt… like a mask. _Did Descole just take off his mask? What was he going to-_

But his thoughts were interrupted by something warm seemingly caressing his right cheek. “What are you-” Dimitri started, but was silenced by the foreign sensation of something warm pressed against his lips. Then it just stopped.

“You can open your eyes now,” Descole said.

Dimitri opened his eyes, and saw a pair of red ones staring back at him.

“Ahh… I don’t feel right,” Des said, clearly nervous. He covered his eyes with his hand. “I thought this was all good and I could be without my mask, but when you looked at me… Give me back my mask, please.”

Dimitri handed the white mask back to the anxious Man. Descole put it back on and seemed more relaxed.

“ _This_ was your plan?” Dimitri asked.

“Well, yes.” Descole laughed. “If I was simply in need of a friend I would reach out to Don Paolo. But, for this kind of relationship, I’m looking for something more… _specific._ ”

“I…” Dimitri was conflicted. “I… I’ve never dated another man before…”

“Neither have I,” Descole said. “But I can tell you I am 100% pansexual.”

“Pan… what?” Dimitri was confused again. “You… like pans?”

“Hah!” Des laughed. “No, Pansexual means gender doesn’t play a role in my attraction towards others. Basically, I love all genders.”

“Ah,” Dimitri said. He was still confused, just less so. “So… You bailed me out of prison… so you could date me… What?”

“Yeah that sounds about right,” Des said with a laugh. “So, are you open to it? I don’t want to force you to do anything you don’t want to do, with the exception of taking care of yourself of course.”  
“Ummmm…” Dimitri thought about it. On the one hand, Des seemed nice. On the other hand, he literally only met the man two days ago. “I… I’m not sure. I just need to think about it for a few minutes, or days. I’m not sure.”

“Ah, alright,” Des said. He seemed to be expecting that as an answer.

Then, and idea came to Dimitri’s mind.

“You know what, Descole?” Dimitri smiled. “If you can prove to me that you’ll be able to be a good boyfriend,” The word ‘boyfriend’ felt weird on Dimitri’s tongue, “by the end of this week, then yes, I’ll date you.”

“Ooh, a challenge,” Descole said with a smirk, “I love challenges. Explain to me more of what you mean.”

“Well,” Dimitri chuckled, “There are certain qualities that I specifically look for in a partner. If you can meet those requirements, then I don’t see why I can’t date you.”  
“Well, what are some of these requirements?”

“Well,” Dimitri was starting to feel embarrassed, but went on anyway. “I… I want someone who… can help me with nightmares, for one thing… um…” Dimitri could feel his face going slightly red, and then hurriedly said “along with someone who lets me be when i ask for alone time, someone who doesn’t ask too many personal questions, someone who initiates conversations instead of me because i kinda suck at that, someone who won’t judge my… strange tastes… and other things you’ll figure out eventually.”

“Woah,” descole said, “The bar is so much lower than I ever imagined.”

“Well I’m a simple man with simple needs,” Dimitri said with a hesitant smile.

“Are you all right with physical contact because you look like you could use a hug right about now,” Descole said.

“That’s… fine, I suppose,” Dimitri said.

Descole gave him a hug, then pat his head.

“Wha-” Dimitri said, surprised.

“Well, it’s about time for me to go to work. Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you about work.” Descole laughed, then looked serious. “Since you now know I’m Desmond Sycamore, you also know that I’m a professor at Gressenheller University. I teach about the ancient Azran civilization. If there’s an emergency, good luck. Now, I’m off. Make sure you eat something for lunch, and drink water. See ya!”

And with that, Descole left.

_Did I just agree to start dating a stranger if they passed a simple test?_

_Well, I suppose it would be a change of pace._


	2. Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Descole now has a goal:   
> Impress Dimitri so they can date.  
> Dimitri now has a goal:  
> Try not to die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s mentions of trauma in this chapter, specifically Dimitri having a night terror about Claire.  
> Proceed with caution

👑🎭👑

Descole loved a good challenge.

Impressing Dimitri, wasn’t.

_ He literally just wants the bare necessities,  _ he thought to himself.  _ I expected something more from a scientist.  _ No matter, he had work to do. He got dressed in his sycamore attire, and anxiously took off his mask.

_ Don’t worry, Don’t worry, _ Des thought to himself,  _ You will have your glasses. Just imagine your glasses  _ are  _ your mask.  _ He took a deep breath in, and put his glasses on. He blinked a few times, trying to calm himself down. Eventually, his hands stopped their shaking, and Des knew he was ok for now. 

He bid farewell to Dimitri, and left for work. The commute was the same as always, and he arrived on time to Gressenheller. He double checked to make sure everything was accounted for, adjusted his tie out of nervous habit, and entered the school.

He walked quickly to his office, and got all his notes together. Today he was giving a lecture on the Azran Legacy Incident, a topic that always made him nervous. He attempted to calm himself down by remembering that Dimitri was waiting for him at home, and that seemed to do the trick. Once more adjusting his tie, he took a deep breath in and entered the lecture hall. There were already a few students waiting for him, as usual.

“Hello class,” Desmond said, “Class is going to start in a few minutes. I just have to go through my notes again…”

Eventually, the room filled with students, and Desmond was ready to begin his lecture. Well, almost ready.

“Before we start,” Desmond said, addressing the class, “I want to preface this by saying that the Azran Legacy Incident has personally affected me in a negative way, so if i stumble, that’s why. The Azran were very advanced technologically…” and he dove straight into the lecture. About an hour in, he paused. He did this for two reasons. Both to collect himself, and to allow time for students to ask questions. One student raised his hand, and Des called on them.

“Wasn’t there something in the papers back then about a man who went missing after the Azran Sanctuary collapsed?”

“That is not what we are talking about, Leo,” Desmond said. In truth, he knew the man that went missing. It was him. The students, however, didn’t need to know Desmond was Descole. “You are correct, and they managed to find the man. Apparently they left for another country. Now, are there any further questions?” There were none. “Alright, I will continue. Now, the Azran had created robots that eventually destroyed them…”

The rest of work that day was relatively easy. Once it came time, Desmond left the school and returned home. He was just glad he was done with the Azran Legacy lecture, as it always brought back bad memories. Once he got to his house, he ran to get his mask and put it on. He let out a sigh of relief. Finally, he could relax. Or so he thought.

Descole heard crying, coming from Dimitri’s room. He dropped his glasses on the floor and ran to Dimitri’s room. He barged in, not even bothering to be quiet, and saw dimitri curled into a ball on the bed. The scientist was crying. He also appeared to be asleep.

“Oh no,” Des said. He ran towards Dimitri, and attempted to wake him up. “Dimitri! Wake up! You’re safe! Please wake up…”

“N… no…” Dimitri muttered, sounding incredibly pained. “N… not… not claire… not… claire…”

“Dimitri!” Des shook the other man, who’s eyes opened suddenly. “Dimitri! Are you alright? You’re alright. You’re safe here. Dimitri? Can you speak?”

“Claire…” Dimitri cried out. He wasn’t fully awake, and he seemed to be terribly troubled by a painful memory. “Claire… why did you… no…”

“Dimitri, wake up,” Descole said. He didn’t even notice his own eyes producing tears. “Please… I can’t afford another loss… Please… wake up,” 

Descole grabbed the other scientist and held him in a tight embrace. That seemed to do the trick, as Dimitri stopped crying.

“What- where am I?” He asked. “Who… what… where's claire?”

“You just had a sleep terror,” Des said, still hugging the man. “It’s ok, you’re here now. Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”

“i... “ And dimitri hugged Descole back. “I’ve been getting a lot of those dreams lately…”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Des asked.

“Not right now,” Dimitri said. The man let go of Des, and produced a weak smile. “I’m alright, don’t worry.’

“I’m even more worried now,” Des said, “But if you don’t want to talk about it right now, I’ll respect your wishes. I want to help you, so don’t hesitate to speak up if you need it. If you need anything, say, some sort of pillow to hug while you sleep, i can get that for you. I won’t judge you.”

“Alright,” Dimitri said. 

“And I also understand why you might fall asleep in the middle of the day,” Des said. “I just want you to know that this won’t mean that your curfew gets any later. I still expect you to be asleep or at the very least in your bed by ten pm. You need to be taking care of yourself, you understand?”

“I… i do,” Dimitri said.

“Good,” des said. “I just got back from work a few minutes ago, so I'm kind of exhausted myself. If you need something from me, I’ll be messing with things in the workshop.” And with that note, Descole left.

🕐🕑🕒 

Dimitri was scared. He had just been woken up from one of his worst nightmares yet. He tried to stand up, only to fall over. His legs were weak, and his body was shaking. He tried to steady himself, and this attempt saw more success than the prior one. He managed to get himself out of the room and into the hall. 

_ Maybe I  _ should  _ talk to Descole about the nightmare, _ Dimitri thought,  _ But I don’t want to be a burden. He hardly knows me. I can’t be burdening him with my problems now… _

Dimitri decided to just walk. He just let his subconscious take the wheel for a minute while he took the time to think. Eventually, he found himself at the door to the workshop. He opened it and stepped inside.

“Hey, Dimitri,” descole said, “Are you feeling alright? Are you ready to talk now?”

“Not about my nightmare,” Dimitri said. “I actually wanted to say… the nickname thing. Could… could you call me al?”

“Sure,” Descole said with a laugh. “Alright then, al. If you wanna help me with this thing I’m making, that would be cool. So, you see, this is a machine that basically takes light and…”

The duo worked on the machine for a while. Dimitri was able to help with the math aspects, while Descole helped with the technical things. Eventually, Descole said they had reached a stopping point, and they stepped back to admire their work.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Descole asked.

“It’s impressive, yes,” Dimitri said.

“Descole, I… I actually wanted to speak with you about… About… About Clive.”

“Clive?” Des asked, “That boy who created the Underground London?”

“Well, how many chaotic Clives do you know?” Dimitri joked, then frowned. “I just keep thinking, even though it  _ is  _ irrational… that if I… did something… Clive wouldn’t’ve gone crazy. He wouldn’t have done what he did. If I had just spoken up, then maybe…”

“Al,” Descole said, putting a hand on Dimitri’s shoulder, “don’t worry about it. When someone is hellbent on getting revenge, nothing will stop them. Well, almost nothing. I know from personal experience. Whenever your mind wanders to blaming yourself for Clive’s actions, just remember that you didn’t join him. You didn’t try to get revenge by murdering a ton of people, you went about it another way. Also, can I just say,” Descole let out a laugh, “Bill hawks can go eat a pipe bomb. He was a terrible person.”

Dimitri let out a light chuckle, feeling a bit better. He started to leave, but Des stopped him.

“Listen, Al,” Descole said, “I just wanted to say, I’m not trying to force you to do anything. If at any point you don’t feel comfortable living here, I won’t force you to stay. I’ll find somewhere for you if you decide you aren’t ok here. Also, we should probably talk about plans for going out. People know what you look like, and I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“I  _ do  _ have a pseudonym,” Dimitri said. “Alain Stahngun. I could be him if I ever… need to… go in… public…”

“Oh, do you have agoraphobia?” Descole asked. “Well, if there’s anything I can do to help…”

“I… don’t like going outside alone…” Dimitri said. “When in Future London, it kinda… helped, pretending to be someone else. But I can’t do that anymore. No matter what kind of disguise I do-”

But Des interrupted. “Oh I’m good at disguises, and I also know Paul he’s a master of disguise.”

“I… guess…” Dimitri looked away.

“Hey, if you ever need to go out of the house, I can come as well.” Des smiled. “I might not be able to legally walk around with a sword, but I  _ can  _ use a long stick as one if need be.”

They both laughed, then talked about how exactly leaving the house would work.

“So,” Des said, “You’ll want something temporary, yet convincing. Hey, I’ve got an idea! I could braid your hair, you could wear color contacts, and I could do your makeup. Then all we would need is an outside outfit and we could be set!”

“You can do makeup?” Dimitri asked.

“Of course I can, Al,” Descole said with a laugh. “I had to disguise myself as Angela, didn’t I…” 

Des looked visibly uncomfortable.

“Well, I suppose that could work,” Dimitri said.

“Well how about this weekend, I take you to meet my brother? I’m sure he’d be more than happy to meet you.” Des smiled.

“Well…” Dimitri said, thinking, “I guess it would be alright… one thing though…” and Dimitri looked away. “I’m not really good at… well… talking with people, so if you could just do the talking…”

“Oh that’s alright,” Des laughed. “I’m good at talking. Probably too good, my students tell me. Plus, by the weekend, you said you’d make up your mind about… you know…”

“Oh.” Dimitri had completely forgotten about that. “I did do that.”

“Before I prepare dinner,” Descole said with a smirk, “I just wanted to try something really quick.”

“Try what?” Dimitri asked.

“This.” And Des kissed Dimitri. It was odd, but surprisingly pleasant. Dimitri wasn’t used to this, so he instinctively flinched at the sudden contact. A few seconds later, he leaned out of the kiss.

“ _ Warn  _ me when you’re gonna do that, won’t you?” Dimitri asked.

“But that would ruin the perfect look on your face, Dimmy,” Des said.

“I told you not to call me that,” Dimitri said.

“Oh! My apologies. It would ruin the perfect look on your face,  _ al. _ ”

“...actually now that I think about it, perhaps Dimmy is a better nickname…”

“I knew it.”

“But still, call me al, at least until I’ve made up my mind about this whole “boyfriend” business.”

“Got it. Now I’ll get dinner ready. I’ll call for you when it’s done, alright?”

“Alright,” Dimitri said. “I’m just going to stay here I guess?”

“You can come with,” Des said, “If you’d prefer.”

“No,” Dimitri said, “I’m alright. Thanks.”

And Des left to make food.

👑🎭👑

After dinner, Descole went to get ready for bed. He was just about to check and make sure Dimitri wasn’t just messing with things again, when said man walked into him.

“Ah! Sorry,” Dimitri said. “I was just wanting to ask you something…”

“Oh it’s alright,” Des said, and he let out a laugh. “What’s up?”

“I… um…” Dimitri seemed reluctant to ask. “Wanted to know if… you could… Um… uh…”

“Spit it out, Al,” Descole said.

“I… wanted to know if you… if I could…” Dimitri took a deep breath, then hurriedly asked “Iwantedtoknowifyoucouldpossiblylaydownnexttomeinbedatlewstuntiligotosleepbecauseiwasthinkongthatthatmighthelpwithmynightmares but if you don’t want to, I don’t blame you.”

“Slow down, Al,” Descole said with a chuckle, “I can’t understand you.”

“I just wanted to know if you could possibly lay down next to me at least until I fall asleep because I was thinking that it might help with my nightmares,” Al said.

“Oh,” Des said.  _ I certainly wasn’t expecting someone like Al to request this… _ “Sure, I suppose that might help. I get it, don’t worry. Once you fall asleep, I’ll leave, alright?”

“T-thank you,” Dimitri said. They got into bed, Dimitri requesting that Des be near the edge, and tried to relax. Dimitri seemed restless, however.

Descole absentmindedly started singing a lullaby.

“Frère Jacques...

Frère Jacques...

Dormez-vous?

Dormez-vous?

Sonnez les matines...

Sonnez les matines...

Ding, ding, dong...

Ding, ding, dong...

Frère Jacques..

Frère Jacques...

Dormez-vous?

Dormez-vous?

Sonnez les matines...

Sonnez les matines...

Ding, ding, dong...

Ding, ding, dong...”

“What was that?” Dimitri said. He sounded intrigued. 

“When my daughter had a hard time sleeping,” Descole said, “She would ask me to sing her lullabies. She always loved ‘Frère Jacques’. She would ask me to sing it over and over again. Over time, it became a sort of comfort song. Whenever she was sad, or scared, or hurt, I would just sing Frère Jacques and she would calm down. But now she’s gone… and no amount of lullabies is going to change that…” Des let out a dry laugh. “I guess you being all restless and troubled triggered something in me, so I wanted to sing it. I hope that didn’t disturb you even more…”

“No,” Dimitri said, “Actually, it helped a little.”

“So should I sing it again?” Des asked.

“If you want to.”

And so Des did. After about 5 or so repetitions of the lullaby, Des could tell that Dimitri was asleep. As much as the wanted to stay next to the man, Descole didn’t want to damage the man’s trust in him, so he ever so quietly slipped out of bed and out of the room.

When he finally got to sleep, memories of his past flooded through his mind. They weren’t sad thoughts, however. They were nice memories. Happy times. When Des fell asleep, he had only good dreams...

He was woken with a start.

“Who the fuck-” Descole started, before noticing who was there. “Oh, Dimitri. It’s you. What time is it?”

“It’s 4:30, Descole,” Dimitri said. “I just wanted to know if you heard that loud bang as well.”

“Loud… Bang?” Des was confused. “It’s probably Paul. He’s a wacky inventor who lives across the street. Go back to sleep. Maybe someday I can introduce you two. Now, I’ve got work in a few hours.”, so please let me sleep.”

Dimitri left the room, and Des fell back to sleep.

About an hour and a half later he was awoken once again, this time by his alarm. He turned it off and got ready. Today he would be grading papers for most of the day. Perhaps he could convince the dean to let him grade at home. It was worth a shot, regardless of the answer. He left his room, mask still on as always.

He quickly made himself breakfast and was almost ready to leave. He just had to tell Dimitri he was going. And he had to… take off his mask.

The first part was easy. He left a note on the inside of the door to Dimitri’s room for the man to read when he woke up. The second part, however, was harder.

He stared at his reflection in the mirror. His hands reached up to remove his mask, but couldn’t.

_ Just imagine your glasses as a mask, _ he thought to himself, trying again.  _ Your glasses are just a see-through mask.  _ He managed to tear his mask off of his face, and shoved his glasses on.

He tried to acclimate himself to his surroundings. He blinked, remembering that all was well and that he was safe. That he had to wear his Glasses for safety, just like he wore his mask for safety.  _ Deep breaths, Desmond. Deep. Breaths. _

He finally felt less nervous, and left the house.

He did ask the Dean about the possibility of him working from home on days like these, to which the man said;

“Well as long as you can keep up.”

That roughly translated to;

“Make sure you actually do your work.”

Descole returned home to find that Dimitri had awoken. The man seemed to only be half-awake, however. Dimitri had his eyes half-closed and was laying on the couch, newspaper in hand. You could cut the tension with a knife.

“Dimitri? Are you alright?” Descole crouched down, his head level with the other man’s. “What are you looking at that’s so interesting?”

“Oh… it’s nothing,” Dimitri said, hurriedly folding up the newspaper and sitting up.

“What’s in that newspaper, huh?” Des poked with his words. “Can I see it? Just a little peeeeeeeeeeek?”

“NO!” Dimitri yelled. “GET AWAY FROM HER-” then he covered his mouth. “I- I’m sorry for- I didn’t mean to-”

“Her?” Des asked. “Is this related to what’s giving you nightmares?”

“I’m sorry,” Dimitri started again.

“Don’t be,” Descole said. “I clearly crossed a line. I’ll do better in the future. If you aren’t comfortable talking about it, that’s fine. I’ll just let you know that I  _ chose  _ you, and that you talking to me is not burdening me with anything. Now,” and Des clapped his hands, “I’m going to go grade some work.” He was just about to leave when Dimitri stopped him.

“Wait,” he said, “It’s just… this newspaper was the one in where… her death was acknowledged. Barely, of course, but acknowledged nonetheless. That… that’s all I’m willing to share for now. I hope you understand.”

Des understood.

He understood perfectly.


	3. Accidents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri hides his sorrow.  
> Descole snaps.

🕐🕑🕒

Dimitri went back to his room and cried. He couldn’t believe it had been almost 15 years since she died. He knew Descole didn’t _mean_ to be rude, but he couldn’t help but be mad at the Masked man’s insistence that he talk about her. 

_Claire._

The memories of her flooded his mind. Her smile, her laugh, the way her hair would constantly get in her face while working…

He tried to remember what she had told him when he found the truth to her Celeste disguise. When he realized that he could save her.

“I have a destiny, Dimitri,” she had said, “and you have yours. Please, toying even more with time will only lead to more chaos! I know you can move on. You’ve moved on once before, hadn’t you?”

“But I never did!” He had yelled at her. “I never got over the loss of you! I… I loved you, Claire. And it was because of my foolishness that you died. Let me fix this! I can right the wrongs!”

“I loved you too, Dimitri,” Claire had said, “As a brother. You were always there for me in ways that Hershel never could be. And for that, I will always be grateful.”

“Please,” Dimitri had begged, “at least stay for Hershel. He… he never got to say goodbye. He’s coming to stop Clive.”

“I… I suppose I have no choice but to stay for just a bit,” Claire seemed to begrudgingly agree. “But I hope you’ll understand that I don’t want to reveal my true self to him. Tell nobody that you saw me, ok?”

“Ok,” Dimitri said. 

Dimitri was brought back to the present when he heard the sound of a yell.

“Where is it?” It was Descole yelling from his room across the hall. 

Dimitri bolted upright and clambered out of his room. He entered the other man’s room, startled by the sight of the masked man… Maskless.

“Oh god oh no,” Descole said, “where is it? I can’t be without it?”

“What’s wrong,” Dimitri asked, scared.

“Dimitri!” Des seemed scared. “I can’t have you seeing me like this! I need my mask!”

“I’m sure you don’t look that bad,” Dimitri said, “you don’t need to cover your eyes.”

“You don’t understand,” Descole said, falling to his knees. “I _need_ my mask. Where is it? I can’t see… Where is it… I can’t… See…”

“Where did you put it last?”

“Somewhere over here… oh no oh no…”

“Why do you wear that mask, Descole?” Dimitri asked. 

“Well…” Descole turned his face away from Dimitri's. “It’s a hard story to tell. Also, you haven’t shared your trauma, so I’m not sharing mine. I won’t until you do. You clearly need to talk about it!”

“I’m just not comfortable talking about it,” Dimitri said, offended. “Don’t try and guilt me into reliving trauma!”

“I’m not _guilting_ you!” Des yelled. “I’m just telling you I don’t want to tell you the story of my mask, and that you should probably talk about whatever it is that’s bothering _you_!”

“Well it sure _sounded_ like you were _accusing me,”_ Dimitri said. 

“ _Accusing_ you?” Des said, “Accusing you of what?”

They started talking over each other.

“-Well I’m sorry I offended mr _I’m so rich-_ ”

“-You had it so much easier than I did-”

“-But I don’t want to fucking talk about my trauma-”

“-you got a normal goddamn family and everything-”

“-because nothing you ever experienced could ever compare to the dread and fear-”

“-and whatever you have to say, I have to say has _nothing_ on when I came back home from work to find-”

“-of _someone Dying in your arms because of your own invention!”_

 _“_ -that my _wife and daughter_ had both been _murdered by my own father!”_

The two men realized what they had said.

“I’m sorry I just-” Descole said hurriedly.

“No, it’s my fault,” Dimitri said quickly.

The two men turned their backs on one another.

“Death,” Descole said, “It’s the cruel end to the tragedy of life. Those whose lives are ended by its unfair inevitability pull those close to them down with them. While we are unable to turn back time, we are able to cherish the memories of those we lost to the earth. We are alike in more than just brains, Dimitri. We’ve both been surrounded by death. We both have suffered through so much, and suffered through it alone. But right now, it’s the present. It isn’t the unchangeable past, or the unknown future. It’s the moldable present. We can change our futures, Dimitri, and make those who are watching over us proud.”

“I’m sorry,” Dimitri started, but was interrupted by Descole pulling him around.

Their chests were almost touching. They were… uncomfortably close.

“You have nothing to be sorry about, my dear,” Descole said. Dimitri risked a glance at the other man’s unmasked face, and found it wasn’t as harsh as he expected. He thought the mask might have been to hide a scar, or… or an unsightly mole, but Descole’s face was unblemished by such things. 

_Perhaps the scar isn’t skin deep,_ Dimitri thought. _Perhaps… perhaps it has something to do with what we were just yelling about._

“It is I, who should be apologizing to you,” Descole said. “I brought you here under false pretenses, tricked you into a game where the prize is affection, and on top of it all, I yelled at you. I lost my temper. I… I know you aren’t going to forgive me. You don’t need to. All I want,” and Descole hugged the man tight to him, “Is just one person who… Who can…”

“...love you?” Dimitri finished.

“Yes…” Descole said. He seemed as if he was going to let go, when something inside of Dimitri’s mind clicked and he did something unexpected.

Dimitri grabbed the unmasked man’s head and brought their lips together.

The two men stood there, sharing more words in that kiss than could ever be written. When it came time to part lips, 30 seconds later, 10 minutes later, _a lifetime_ later, Dimitri smiled.

It was the first genuine smile he’d expressed in months.

“I love you, Descole,” He said to the other man. 

“I love you too, Dimitri,” Descole responded.

“I’ll help look for your mask,” Dimitri said, “and tonight we can talk about… our pasts. Does that sound alright?”

“After you eat something,” Descole said, then laughed. “Thank you, Dimitri.”

And they kissed again.

👑🎭👑

Dimitri found the mask. It had somehow gotten under the bed. Descole put it back on with a sigh.

“I’m terribly sorry for snapping back there,” Descole said.

“Stop apologizing so much,” Dimitri said.

“Oh I’m sorry-” but Des realized what he did. “Okay, let me try again. Thank you for putting up with me. I’ve… been through some stuff, you know?”

“Yeah I know,” Dimitri said. “Would you mind… changing the subject please? I don’t wanna talk about this right now.”

“Oh, no problem,” Descole said with a laugh. “What’s your favorite musical?”

“I don’t really watch musicals,” Dimitri said.

“Whaaaaat?” Descole gasped dramatically. “Well we need to change that! In this house, we watch musicals. I’ll set up the TV, then maybe you can watch Phantom of the Opera when I’m done with work. Sound like a plan?”

“Ummm…” Dimitri seemed taken aback. “Sure, I guess.”

“Ok then!” and with a dramatic swoosh of his cape, Descole left the room. After he finished what he needed to do, he alerted Dimitri.

“So,” Descole said, turning the TV on, “you might experience a slight bit of deja-vu with this musical. It’s my favorite. I hope you like it.”

Des sat down next to Dimitri, casually putting an arm around the other scientist. They watched the musical. Dimitri seemed both happy, and slightly scared.

“Ooh this is one of my favorite parts,” Des said, then began to sing along to the music. 

“In sleep he sang to me,

In dreams, he came.

That voice which calls to me…

And speaks my name…

And do I dream again?

For now I find...

The Phantom of the Opera is there...

Inside my mind…” Des’s tone changed to be that of a more evil person, and he sang the next part.

“Sing once again with me...

our strange duet...

My power over you...

grows stronger yet...

And though you turn from me...

to glance behind...

The Phantom of the Opera is there...

Inside your mind…”

“Wow,” Dimitri said, “You sound… scarily like him.”

“Thanks,” Des said. “I took quite a bit of inspiration for my costume, and my theme, from Phantom of the Opera. Like I said, it’s my favorite musical. Of all time.”

“Interesting.”

They watched the rest of the musical, Des singing along with the Opera Ghost every time he could. Des was constantly glancing at Dimitri to see his reactions. They were about what Des expected from him. Once they finished it, Descole turned the tv off.

“It’s about time for dinner, Wouldn’t you say?” 

“I suppose it is,” Dimitri said. His mind seemed… elsewhere.

“You alright there bud?” Descole asked, “you seem a bit… off.”

“It’s just…” and Dimitri looked Des in the eyes, “There was so much… _emotion_ in that musical. How does all that _feeling_ fit into one performance? How does someone _process_ that emotion?” 

“Ah,” Descole said, laughing, “I get it. Back when I was in school, we did a performance of POTO. I was the opera ghost. It’s hard, filling a role that requires so much emotion when you yourself are trying to hide said feelings away. But it was worth it. It was some of the most fun I had in my young life. I loved it so much that I tried to write my own screenplay, one where a young man by the name of Jean fought against an evil organization to save his family. When I was searching for a new name after… well… When I was becoming Descole, I remembered the half-finished play and the name of the main character.”

“That sounds… interesting,” Dimitri said. “I’m hungry. What’s for dinner?”

“Oh right,” Des said, “Dinner. I was thinking maybe tonight we could just take it easy? Microwave some leftovers, you know. Is that ok?”

“Oh sure,” Dimitri said. 

They had food, and then the time came for them to talk.

To talk about their lives.

And about those lives they saw end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ones a bit shorter, mainly because this was the best stopping point. If you can’t tell, I suck at writing slow burn so I tend to... speed up the relationship? I’m not sorry though. This is MY ship, after all.


	4. Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Descole recounts his life.  
> Dimitri shares a sad tale.  
> Charity enters the picture.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, I’m linking my comfort fic and this fic together. I’ll explain more at the end notes.

🕐🕑🕒

Dimitri gulped nervously. He and Descole sat down on the couch. He looked away from the man wearing a mask, not wanting to be the first person to speak. Obviously picking up on that, Descole put a hand on Dimitri’s shoulder, and he turned his head back to face the man.

“Should I start?” Des asked, running his hand through Dimitri’s hair.

“...yes,” Dimitri replied. 

“Where to start…” Des said, “how about at the beginning? When I was only about 7, my parents were… taken away by targent. That left me and my little brother alone. One day, however, I was told that one of us was going to be adopted. That one was me. I couldn’t let my little brother live alone, however, so… I gave him my name. I told the people who came to take him that there was a family that could take care of me. I lied. I had nobody. Eventually, however, a man by the name of Raymond came and took me to where my new home was. The Sycamores. They were nice, they had money, but Raymond was more of a father to me than they were. As time went on, and I grew up, I kept thinking about my brother, and what exactly had happened. I reached out to his parents. Asked if he remembered me. Asked if there was ever a chance we could meet again. Asked for a picture. He didn’t remember me. No, they couldn’t meet. They really wanted to, though. And they did send me a picture. He had our mom’s eyes, and our dad’s hair. 

“I was devastated, learning he didn’t remember me, but I figured it was for the best. Eventually, as time passed, I found myself becoming an adult. I had made something of a name for myself as “the man who knows the Azran”. That’s when… I met _her.”_ Des laughed. “I remember it like it was yesterday…”

⏳⏳⏳

“Oh! Sorry Mr Sycamore,” the lady who had just bumped into him said. “Here, let me help pick some of these up.”

“It’s nothing, miss…” Desmond said, “...what’s your name?”

“Oh! My name’s Olivia Woods. It’s nice to meet you, Sycamore.”

“Where are you headed off to, Olivia?” Des asked.

“Oh,” she said, blushing, “I… was actually… looking for… you…”

“What?” Des was confused. “Why were you looking for me?”

“Oh… um…” Olivia blushed more. “I… wanted to ask… um… are you single?”

“Wait, are you trying to hit on me?” Des asked. He had never been asked out before, but he assumed that was what this Olivia girl was getting at.

“...yes?” Olivia said, guiltily. “But if you’re taken, I’m so sorry-”

“I’m single, yes,” Des answered. He felt his cheeks go red, and added “but I hardly know you. We should at least have a _conversation_ before we date, you know.”

“Oh yeah,” Olivia said with a laugh. “How does tomorrow at noon, over in the coffee shop down the street sound?”

“Sure,” Des said. He couldn’t believe it. 

Someone liked him.

 _Like_ liked him.

He felt happy.

🕐🕑🕒

“...one thing led to another, we ended up married, and we had a beautiful daughter named Violet. Then… targent came. They were after my knowledge. I begged for them to spare my wife and daughter, to let them live. They ignored my pleas. In the blink of an eye, I lost all I loved. They _killed_ Olivia. They _killed_ my violet. That’s when… I realized drastic measures had to be taken. Targent would _pay_ for what they did to my family, _twice._ I had studied French in school, loving how the language sounded. When I saw my wife and daughter’s dead bodies, I could only think of one French phrase.

Je suis désolé.

_I’m sorry._

I adopted the name “Jean Descole”. Descole, to remind me of my sorrow.

Jean, to remind me of my goal. Be like Jean from my play. The one who fights the terrible organization and wins back his family.

Jean descole.

And that’s my story.”

Dimitri took a moment to process the emotion that had come from the masked man’s lips. He couldn’t help but feel… guilty. His trauma was _nothing_ compared to what Descole had been through. It almost seemed as if… he didn’t deserve to be sad when people like Des walked this earth. All he lost was a crush. Des lost an entire _family,_ **_twice._ ** Why should he grieve? He had it much better than Des! Why even bother…

“Dimitri,” Descole said, bringing him back to earth, “Are you alright?”

“I’m…” Dimitri started, then stopped. He wanted to say _I’m fine, don’t worry,_ or _It’s nothing big, just something sad._ What came out, however, was “Now i feel selfish.”

“Why?” Des asked, concern in his voice.

“You’ve suffered so much more than I have,” Dimitri answered. “You had to see your family die. All I lost was one person. I feel like a total jerk for letting something as small as one death affect me so much-”

“Don’t say that, Al,” Descole interrupted. “You have every right to grieve over any kind of loss in your life. Trauma isn’t a contest. Just because you might have lost less, it doesn’t mean you can’t be affected by it. What happened? Who did you lose?”

“...Claire,” Dimitri responded, before breaking down into tears. “I… i loved her… but she was dating someone else. She… she was still a great friend, even after I told her… but she died in that damned Time Machine fiasco of 15 years ago. I told bill, I told him, “Don’t test it yet! There are still major flaws!” But he did anyway. I got there too late. Bill had used _her_ as the test subject. And the resulting explosion when the machine malfunctioned killed 10 people. Including Claire. Bill sold parts of the machine and made away with more money than most men see in a lifetime, and did his best to cover up the incident. Ten years later, however, Layton helped uncover the truth of what happened. And do you know what happened to Bill? _Nothing._ He got away scott free! If that isn’t injustice, I don’t know what is.”

“Bill hawks…” Descole said, clearly thinking. “He was assassinated, wasn’t he? I know he was also the prime minister, but I usually stay out of politics.”

“I completely understand,” Dimitri said. “I don’t like talking about politics either.”

“Well,” Descole said with a laugh, “At least he can’t bother us anymore, right? Look at me, Dimitri.”

Dimitri did so.

“Grey eyes were seen as a symbol of wisdom long ago,” Descole said. “You seem to be living proof of the accuracy of that.”

“I don’t follow,” Dimitri said, “I’m not wise.”

“I never said you proved them right!” Des joked. “In all seriousness, you _are_ wise. In your own, Dimitri-esque way. That’s why I love you.”

“You… you really mean it?” He asked, and Des smiled. His brilliant white teeth showed.

“Of _course_ I mean it, darling,” Des said. “Can I call you darling? Or should I stick to ‘Al’?”

“Darling is fine…” Dimitri said. “I was wondering…” but he looked away.

“What is it, Darling?” Des seemed concerned. “Whatever you need, I’ll do my best to fulfill it.”

“I… I was wondering…” But Dimitri couldn’t bring himself to ask what he really wanted. Instead, he settled for “could you… run your fingers through my hair? It felt kind of… nice…”

“Of course,” Des said with a chuckle. Dimitri laid his head on the masked man’s lap, and Des pat his head while running his fingers through his hair. 

_This feels really nice,_ Dimitri thought to himself. _Perhaps dating this man wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all…_

“Hey Descole?” Dimitri asked, and Des looked him in the eyes. “I was wondering if I could… sleep next to you tonight? I mean, it helped me last night, and… I’m lonely. Would it be alright if I-”

But Des cut him off with a laugh.

“Of _course_ you can sleep next to me, Darling,” Descole said. “In fact, I’ll get the bed all ready, ok? Knock on the door when you wanna sleep, ok?”

“Ok.”

👑🎭👑

Des couldn’t help but chuckle to Himself as he got ready to sleep. _Out of_ all _people,_ Dimitri _asked to cuddle. That's kinda cute._

He knew it wasn’t _actually_ cuddling, but who knows, maybe when Dimitri falls asleep, Des could scoot close to him and wrap an arm around the man-

No.

He had to shake the image out of his head.

Consent. He needs _consent_ before trying anything. 

He sighed, deciding to restrain himself tonight. Tomorrow, he could bring up the subject of possibly…

A knock on the door startled Des, and he jumped.

“Descole, can i come in?” Dimitri was ready to sleep, it seemed.

“Y-yes,” Descole responded. He opened the door, and saw that Dimitri had clearly taken a shower. The man’s hair was wet and it stuck to his face. “You take the right side, alright?”

“Ok.” 

The two got comfortable, and Descole quickly fell asleep.

When he woke up the next day, he found Dimitri very close to him. _He had been hugging the man in his sleep._

“Shit,” he said under his breath, and tried to assess the situation.

One of his arms was wrapped around Dimitri, and went under the man’s body. He couldn’t move it, or that might wake Dimitri up. His best option was to just… stay where he was until Dimitri woke up, then explain the situation. He closed his eyes again, and tried to wait it out. Eventually, the figure in his arms stirred, and he opened his eyes ever so slightly.

Dimitri had woken up. The man looked at Descole, and seemed to think he was asleep. Dimitri seemed confused at the situation. He didn’t make an attempt to escape, however. Instead, he stared at Descole.

“Good morning Dimitri,” Descole said, and Dimitri yelped. “This is quite the… awkward situation we’ve found ourselves in, isn’t it?”

“Good morning,” Dimitri said. “Please let go of me now.”

Des did that, apologizing for that. “I haven’t had someone next to me in bed since Olivia. I suppose I hug in my sleep.”

“Well… I didn’t have nightmares last night,” Dimitri said, “even after having to talk about… Claire… perhaps this arrangement _does_ work.”

“Perhaps,” Descole said. “Now, I’m going to get ready for work. I’ll see you later.”

Des got ready and left for work, bringing the work he graded with him. When he got there, he was greeted by a familiar face.

“Oh, hello Charity,” Desmond said to the lady. 

“Hello yourself, Des,” She replied with a giggle. “It’s Thursday, and that means its work for me too!”

“Haha! Of course! Silly me, I forgot.”

“You forget the days your own _assistant_ works? Wow you need me more than you think.”

“I suppose,” Desmond said with a laugh, “A lot has happened this week. I guess my mind got all caught up with that.”

“So are you still up for dinner at my place tonight? If you’re busy, I don’t want to interfere-”

“Oh yeah, that.” Desmond looked away. Charity has been his assistant for about 2 months, and yet the short-brown-haired lady already seemed to know him so well. “Is it ok if I bring my… Friend… with me? It would probably be best to introduce you two. I mean, if things go as planned, he’ll be staying at my place a while and-” but Desmond realized he had said too much. His face turned slightly pink, and Charity giggled.

“Ah,” she said with a mischievous grin, “a “friend”, you say? Sure, if that’s what you want to call him. I’d be more than happy to accommodate him.”

“Charity please don’t go telling everyone about this,” Desmond said, embarrassed. “If the students found out, you know what will happen.”

“My lips are sealed, Des,” Charity said. 

That day was relatively uneventful, and when it was finally over Desmond went back home.

He couldn’t believe he neglected to tell Dimitri about Charity. Well, now he would _have_ to. She had invited Dimitri as well. It would be best to introduce them to each other.

Speaking of Dimitri…

“Oh hey Descole,” Dimitri said as the man himself walked into the living room, “How was work?”

“It was fine.” Des decided to cut to the chase. “Listen, tonight I have this platonic dinner with my assistant. I was wondering if you would like to meet her? Her name is Charity, and she’s been working with me for a few months. She knows I’m descole, so you can still call me that. She said you could come if you wanted. If you don’t want to, I completely understand.”

“I… I suppose I should come with,” Dimitri said. “After all, i'll probably have to meet this Charity at some point. It might as well be now, right?”

“Well,” Des responded with a laugh, “I’ll just get ready and when it’s time to go, I’ll take you there!”

And with that, Des pat Dimitri on the head and went to get ready.

After he got himself all situated and looking casually formal, he went to tell Dimitri that they still had a bit of time before leaving, and to ask what he would like to do.

“So, we have some time to kill,” Des explained, “before we go. Was there anything you wanted to do beforehand?”

“Umm… Descole,” Dimitri started nervously, “I wanted to ask if we could… Umm…”

“What’s up, Dimitri?” Descole was intrigued. “What do you want to do?”

“I was wondering if you could… if you could…” Dimitri looked away embarrassed.

“Come on, Dimitri, whatever it is, I’m sure it’s nothing terrible. Ask!”

“I was wondering if you could… if we could… I was wondering if we could kiss again?”

“Oh of course Dimmy!” Des laughed. “Come here, I love you.” Des pulled his partner close to him, and touched his nose to the other’s. “Oh your beautiful face makes me jealous,” he said, caressing the other man’s face. “You seem to be doing much better than when you were in jail. That’s good. I just hope you still have enough life left in you for a bit… More… than ordinary life.”

And with that comment, descole kissed the man. It was more passionate than the other times they kissed. It said even more about their feelings towards each other than words alone could explain. Des didn’t want it to end, but knew it had to. When Dimitri leaned out, their lips broke and they both smiled.

“To answer your question from earlier,” Dimitri said, “your question. The one from Monday. Yes, I’ll date you.”

“Aww, thanks,” Des said. “Is it alright if I kiss you again?”

“That would be wonderful.”

And they kissed again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember kids, Consent is sexy.
> 
> So, Charity Layne is here. Key differences between her in this fic and her in my comfort fic are that  
> 1\. She isn’t dating Des  
> 2\. She doesn’t live with Des  
> 3\. She’s actually a British citizen, but was still raised in the US.


	5. Platonic Dinner Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri meets Charity.  
> Descole makes a mistake.

🕐🕑🕒

The time eventually came for Dimitri and Des to leave. Des went over the ground rules when they set off.

“So,” the masked man said, “Charity knows I’m descole, so feel free to call me that. I wanted to ask you what I should introduce you as, both name and relation.”

“Introduce me as Dimitri Allen, please,” Dimitri said. “As for relation…”

“I’m sure no matter what I say, she’ll know we are… involved. She has the unsettling skill of knowing who’s dating who.”

“So I suppose you should just cut out the middleman and just introduce me as your boyfriend,” Dimitri said.

“If that’s what you’re comfortable with,” Descole said. When the couple arrived at their destination, Des knocked on the door.

A fair-skinned lady in a blue dress answered.

“Hello Des!” She said. “I’m glad you could make it! Now who’s your “friend” there?”

“Thank you for inviting me, Charity. This is Dimitri Allen. He’s my boyfriend.”

It was the first time Dimitri had ever heard those words. _“He is my boyfriend.”_ Dimitri liked the sound of them, especially coming from Descole.

“Nice to meet you, Dim,” Charity said, laughing. “I’m kidding with the name, of course. I’ll call you Dimitri. Come in, come in.”

The two men went inside the house. The place itself was more “ordinary” than Descole’s place, save for the incredibly vibrant colored wall decorations. 

They were brought into the dining room, and charity sat the two men down.

“Ok so i made chicken,” She said, “So i’ll bring it out. I’ll bring out the wine as well, if you’d like some?” 

“That would be great,” Descole said, “Thank you. Dimitri, do you drink wine?”

“I prefer white wine over red, just so you know,” Dimitri said. “Also, I’m vegan, so i dont eat meat… im sorry…”

“Dont be,” charity said with a laugh. “I can accommodate that. I have tofu, would that be alright?”

“Yes,” dimitri said.

“Okay!” and charity left to bring out the food and drinks.

“So,” Descole asked, “What do you think of her so far?”  
“She seems…” Dimitri tried to think of the nicest way to say what he was thinking, “...Odd. Her tastes in decorations are… unique, to say the least.”

Descole laughed. “Yeah, she’s like that. You’ll get used to it. She’s a bit strange, but that's exactly why she’s the perfect assistant for Desmond.”

“What are you telling him, Des?” Charity had come back. She laughed, served the food, and poured the drinks. “I hope only good things.”

“Ah haha,” Des said.

“Um…” Dimitri felt out of place. _What am i supposed to do?_

“Oh,” Descole let out a laugh, “Whats up, Dimitri?” He turned to charity. “Dimitri isn’t the best with social interaction, so he’s probably actually at least 50% nervous.”

“I…” He whispered to descole, “I don't… feel comfortable here… I’m sorry for making you drag me all the way out here…”

“Oh it’s ok,” des whispered back, “would you be okay staying for just about a half hour, or do you need to leave now? I completely understand either way.”

“I… I suppose i should stay a bit…”

“If you aren't comfortable with that, i won’t force you to stay. I know Charity would understand.”

“No, i’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”

“Suit yourself,” and des turned back to his food.

Dimitri took a hesitant bite of the tofu, suddenly aware of Charity watching him. He chewed the food, thinking intensely. He chanced a glance at Charity, and saw her staring at Des. Then the realization hit him. _I can’t believe it. I have once again ruined what could otherwise be a beautiful relationship…_

He looked down guiltily, and continued to eat in silence.

“So,” Charity said to Descole, “How did you meet Dimitri?”

“Oh,” Descole said, “Do you want the Desmond answer, or the real one?”

“Hit me with both,” She answered.

“Ok.” Descole’s voice shifted to be a bit higher, and slightly harsher. “I read about this man in the newspaper. He apparently has done much in the scientific field, and I took interest in him.” Des coughed, and then went back to his normal voice. “I was talking to my brother, and he mentioned that Dimitri had been involved in the future London incident. I looked a bit more into it, I yoinked him out of prison, and now we love each other.”

“Hah!” Charity laughed. “I always love hearing Desmond’s version of events.” She turned to Dimitri. “How have you been enjoying your time with Des?”

“Im sorry,” Dimitri said, and looked away.

“What do you have to be sorry for?” Charity asked, genuine concern in her voice.

“I'm sorry for intruding on your relationship,” Dimitri said. 

“What?” Charity started laughing. “Any flirting I may or may not do with Des is purely teasing because I love poking at people. He’s like 13 years older than me, so it would also be sorta weird if i had any feelings for him. Don’t sweat it, dude.”

Dimitri sighed, and then looked away.

The next 30 minutes were full of Descole and Charity talking to each other, with the occasional question for Dimitri. When Dimitri felt like he’d had enough, he whispered to Des.

“I want to go now.”

“Well it’s been nice being here,” Des said, standing up, “but now it’s about time for us to leave. Thank you for your hospitality, Charity.”

“Call me Rita,” Charity said with a laugh. “Thanks for coming. I’m glad I got to meet your boyfriend. I’ll see you tomorrow at work then! Have a safe drive home!”

The pair left the lady’s house, and Des drove back home.

“Thank you for putting up with her, Dimitri,” Des said in the car. “I’m sorry that you felt uncomfortable, though.”

“It's just… weird, you know?” Dimitri said. “I literally only started being your boyfriend about an hour ago, and its just… weird.”

“I know it is,” Descole responded, “but you’ll get used to it. Say, i have an idea.” Des smiled. “Would it be alright if i…”

👑🎭👑

“...so, do you want to go through with this?” Des asked.

“Why not,” Dimitri said.

“Yes or no,” Des asked again. “I need a definitive answer.”

“Yes.”

“Alright, _now_ we’re talking.”

Des pushed Dimitri against the wall of the bedroom, looking in his eyes.

“You precious flower you,” Des said, putting his forehead to the other man’s. “Why did you have to be so pretty? It seems a shame to let such a gorgeous blossom go… unpicked.” And with that, Descole Kissed Dimitri.

Dimitri seemed nervous, but Descole laughed.

“You look so cute like this, Dimmy,” he said, intertwining his fingers with the other man’s. “Although if I make you uncomfortable, please tell me. I’m trying to love you, not cause you discomfort. Now,” and he smirked., “Where were we? Oh, right.” 

A few minutes of kissing and hugging later, Dimitri made a vague motion at the bed.

“Lay down. I want to do something.”

Descole did so.

“What’s your plan, Dimitri?” He asked.

“This.” And Dimitri pulled Descole into a tight hug. Des felt the other man’s fingers gliding through his hair, and the other hand holding his head.

“This… this feels nice,” Descole said, enjoying the moment. 

“I love you, Descole,” Dimitri said, before kissing Des again.

Des broke the kiss to answer with “I love you too.”

They spent the next quarter hour in each other’s arms. Running their fingers through the other’s hair. Whispering words of comfort and love.

Descole loved every second of it.

“Dimmy,” Des said, sitting up and smiling at the man, “can I… trust you with something important?”

“I’m sure you can,” Dimitri answered, also sittin back up, “What is it?”

“...this.” Descole hesitantly moved his hand up to the top of his face, and with his shaking arm removed his mask. He placed the white mask in Dimitri’s hands, and tried to look him in the eyes. “I… i actually did it… Thank you.”

“What did i do?” Dimitri asked.

“You’ve helped me so much,” des said. “You probably haven’t realized just how much youve helped, but you have. Whenever i can, i wear my mask. It helps me… hide. Whenever i would lose it, or would have to be without it, i… would freak out. Whenever i would have to get ready for work, have to wear my glasses instead of my mask, it took so much effort to not break down. But now, I don’t feel like I need to hide as much. I still want to wear it, but now i can actually take it off without freaking out.”

“I’m happy you feel comfortable enough with me to be more vulnerable,” Dimitri said. “I’m glad you feel alright.”

“C’mere, you,” Des said, and pulled Dimitri in for another kiss. This time, however, he put one hand on the back of the other man’s head and ran his fingers through his hair. The other hand was holding Dimitri’s chin. They sat there, locked in the kiss, lost in the moment. Des felt his hair being played with by Dimitri’s nimble fingers. He couldn’t help it anymore. He suddenly broke the kiss, then grabbed the other man and laid him back down. Descole layed on top. He was just about to go in for another kiss, when Dimitri spoke.

“Please… Get off of me…” Dimitri sounded uncomfortable, and slightly confused.

Des quickly did so, worried he had crossed a line.

“I’m so sorry,” he said to the man. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I should have asked-”

“It’s fine,” Dimitri said, “this time. In the future, _ask_ before doing something like that.”

“Oh, of course,” Des said. “Can we continue kissing, or…”

“Why not,” Dimitri responded.

Those next few minutes filled with happiness and genuine affection were some of the best moments of Descole’s life. When it eventually became time to stop, they both laughed and joked around about all sorts of things.

Des talked about the time he went with Violet to see a movie and how afterwards all she wanted to talk about was the characters. He talked about the time he and Olivia went to a restaurant for dinner and he accidentally ordered something incredibly spicy but ate it anyway. 

Dimitri shared the story of Bill punching the time machine to try to get it to work, and that action actually fixing it. He told of how Claire shared jokes with him that she knew Hershel wouldn’t approve of.

They were drunk off love, and damn, wasn’t that the greatest feeling.

When the time came to sleep, Dimitri stayed in the bed. 

“Nightmares, you know?”

“If you want to move your stuff here, you can,” Des said. “I won’t judge. We _are_ dating, after all.”

Dimitri just laughed, and closed his eyes.

_This is it._

_This is your chance._

_Ask!_

“Dimitri?” Des asked.

“Yes?” Dimitri answered, eyes still closed.

“Can I… snuggle with you?”

“Of course,” Dimitri said, smiling. “Could you sing that lullaby you sang before?”

“Are you sure?” Des let out a chuckle. “Aren’t you a bit old for the magic of lullabies?”

“It worked before,” Dimitri said.

“Well I can’t argue with that assessment,” Des joked. He moved himself next to Dimitri, put an arm around the man, and began to sing.

“Frère Jacques...

Frère Jacques...

Dormez-vous?

Dormez-vous?

Sonnez les matines...

Sonnez les matines...

Ding, ding, dong...

Ding, ding, dong...

Frère Jacques..

Frère Jacques...

Dormez-vous?

Dormez-vous?

Sonnez les matines...

Sonnez les matines...

Ding, ding, dong...

Ding, ding, dong...” 

he repeated that little song a few more times, and then closed his own eyes.

He had wonderful dreams that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks a lot, “Descole you Pompous Ass” discord server, for managing to convince me that Dimitri is Vegan.  
> Also Dimitri is asexual, or at least that’s what I HC him as.


	6. Spicy content

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Descole introduces Dimitri to his brother.  
> Dimitri is in for a surprise...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is SPICY content ahead. There are a couple of mentions of sex, but no actual sex because I’m better than that. There are however a scene or two that I would have difficulty explaining to my parents... so take that how you will.

🕐🕑🕒

The next morning, Dimitri was awoken by a kiss on his forehead.

“Good morning sleepyhead,” Descole cooed in a soft voice. “Wake up. It’s morning.”

“You attractive shit,” Dimitri said, still half asleep, “c’mere.”

Dimitri grabbed the man’s head and kissed him.

“Well,” Dimitri said, yawning after breaking the kiss, “I suppose it’s time to start the day. Pity. I was having a great dream.”

“Seemed like it,” Des said with a laugh. “You talk in your sleep, did you know that?”

Dimitri’s face went red. “W-what did I say?”

“Oh, just some nonsense,” Descole laughed. “But, you also said, and I quote; “kiss me, descole.”” 

The masked man let out a laugh, and Dimitri blushed even more.

“W-well,” Dimitri tried to explain, “I-I  _ do  _ love you, and-”

But he was interrupted by the other man giving him a kiss on the neck. Dimitri couldn’t help but let out a light moan, enjoying it.

Descole knew the boundaries, so he didn’t go further. He just left more neck kisses.

“Is it alright if I… leave a mark?” Des asked.

“I mean,” Dimitri said, “I usually wear a scarf, so it’ll cover it. Sure, why not.” And Descole left a purple mark on his neck.

“While that was… exciting,” Des said, getting up, “I unfortunately have  _ work  _ today…”

“I’ll see you later, then,” Dimitri said. “I love you.”

“Love you too,” Des said with a smile.

Dimitri smiled as the man left. He had plans for the day. He was going to work on something for Descole.

He worked all day developing an interesting machine that he was  _ sure  _ descole would love.

When Descole came back from work that day, he was pleasantly surprised to see the prototype of what Dimitri called the “Musenergy Machine”, a contraption that turned sound into pure energy that one could harness to use in other machines.

“Well, well, well,” Des said approvingly.

“Three holes in the ground,” Dimitri responded with a light laugh.

That night was peaceful, and Dimitri felt ready for the meeting of Descole’s family the next day...

👑🎭👑

“...So I’m on my way. See you in a little bit. Love ya!” And then Des hung up the phone. “Come on, Dimmy. Let’s go! It’s time for you to meet my brother!”

“Alright then,” Dimitri said, picking up his bag.“I just hope he’s an okay person.”

“Oh he is,” Des said. “We are off!”

They got in Descole’s car and he drove to Hershel’s house. When they got there, Des turned to Dimitri.

“First, I’ve got to let you know that my brother doesn’t know your name. It’s gonna be a surprise. Also, he has 3 children, all adopted. Don’t ask, because even  _ I  _ don’t understand it. Now, I’ll knock on the door. You stay behind me.”

Descole knocked on the door to his brother’s house, and a man with red hair answered it.

“Oh hey Uncle Des,” the man said, “Dad told us you were coming.”

“Hello alfendi,” Descole said. “May we come in?”

“‘we’?” Alfendi asked, then noticed Dimitri. “Oh sure.”

The two men came into the house. Dimitri sat down on the couch, and Des sat next to him.

“I’ll go get dad,” Alfendi said. “It’ll only be a minute.”

Exactly one minute later, Hershel Layton walked into the living room, a young girl following him.

“Ah, Hershey, my little brother,” Descole joked, and hugged Layton. “I wanted to introduce you to my boyfriend, Dimitri Allen.”

“Dim- what?” Hershel took a step back. “ _ That’s  _ who your boyfriend is?”

“Wait,” Dimitri said, “Not only does Layton have a brother, but his brother is  _ you? _ ”

“Wait, you two know each other?” Des asked.

“Disguised myself as him, albeit poorly, and basically dragged his name through the mud during the future London incident.” Dimitri said. 

“And worked with Claire,” Hershel added.

“And worked with Claire.” Dimitri said.

“Oh,” Descole said, then laughed. “Well I guess he only needs to meet the three kids. I see Katrielle is here, as is Alfendi. Where’s Flora?”

“Boarding School,” Hershel said. “She’s become very interested in fashion, and hopes to eventually become a designer.”

“That’s good to hear.” Des then squatted down to lock eyes with Katrielle. “And how is my second favorite niece doing?”

“ _ Second  _ favorite?” Katrielle asked, “I thought I was your  _ first  _ favorite!”

“I’m joking, I’m joking,” Des said with a laugh. “Wanna meet Dimmy?”

Des stood back up and turned to face Dimitri, who had put his hair in front of his face in an attempt to hide it.

“Oh come on, Dimmy,” Des said, grabbing his boyfriend’s arm and yanking him over to meet the Fam, “Katrielle, this is my boyfriend, Dimitri. Dimitri, this is my niece, Katrielle.”

“ _ I wanna touch his hair, _ ” Kat said. The girl jumped up, trying to grab onto it, only to have her fingers firmly grasp empty air.

“Kat, please don’t,” Descole started, but was interrupted by kat jumping up onto Dimitri and pulling on his hair.

“OW!” Dimitri yelled, falling over. “Please… get off of me…”

“Oh sorry,” Kat said, as des picked her up off of Dimitri.

“Don’t  _ do  _ that, Katrielle! Layton, control your gremlin child!”

“I’m  _ not  _ a gremlin!” Kat said.

“Des, don’t call my children gremlins!” Layton said.

“Um…” Dimitri said nervously, “So… I guess I owe you an apology, Layton.”

“Why?” Layton asked.

“ _ Why? _ ” Dimitri responded surprised. “For everything I did in future London. For impersonating you. For being the reason that your girlfriend is dead-”

“That wasn’t your fault, Dimitri,” Hershel said. “That was all Bill’s fault. He was blinded by his desire for power. I don’t blame  _ you  _ for Claire’s death. You are as responsible for her death as Des is.”

“...I suppose,” Dimitri said, looking away.

“Well,” Layton said with a laugh, “Can I just say that you and Descole seem to get along quite well. I’m happy he’s found happiness, even  _ if  _ that happiness is you.” Layton noticed how Dimitri seemed to flinch away at those words, and quickly added “oh I don’t mean I hate you, I just… Didn’t expect  _ you  _ to be my brother’s boyfriend.”

“Enough of this sappy stuff,” Des said, “Jean, this is Dimitri. Dimitri, this is Alfendi.”

“Don’t call me “Jean”,” Alfendi said with a growl. “It makes no sense anyhow. It’s nowhere  _ near  _ “Alfendi” and it sounds too… pretentious.”

“Well, alfendi,” Des said, “I just see myself in you. That’s why. You just need to learn a bit more about Symbolism and Theater. I might consider taking you in as my apprentice one day.”

“You aren’t taking any of my children in as you “apprentice”, Des,” Hershel said. 

“Why not? I already taught Flora how to fence, I think I could be a  _ great  _ mentor.”

“You  _ what?” _

“Did Flora not tell you? Who am I kidding, she probably tried, but you were “busy” or something.”

“Umm…” Dimitri said, looking at Alfendi, “Hello. My name is Dimitri Allen.”

“Nice to meet you,” Alfendi said. “So, you’re uncle Des’s new coping mechanism?”

“ALFENDI!” Des said sternly, “you  _ don’t  _ call my boyfriend a  _ coping mechanism. _ ”

“Have you been to jail?” Kat asked.

“Jesus Christ Kat,” alfendi said, “Not everyone named “Dimitri” has been imprisoned!”

“Umm…” Dimitri looked away and replied with “yeah I have.”

“Knew it!” Kat said. 

“Ok that’s enough from you, Kat,” Layton said. “I apologize for her… bluntness.”

“She gets that from you,” Des said with a laugh. “Well, I’m surprised. We’ve been here for at least ten minutes and you haven’t even offered us tea. Shame.”

“Well I was a little preoccupied,” Layton said, “But I’ll get right to it. Dimitri, how do you like your tea?”

“Extra cream,” Dimitri said. Layton left to make the tea, and Dimitri looked nervous. Des smiled at him.

“Come here, Dimmy,” Des said, yanking Dimitri’s arm. He gave his boyfriend a tight hug, and that seemed to calm him down a bit.

“There’s children here, Descole,” Dimitri joked. “We wouldn’t want to embarrass them.”

“Get a room,” Alfendi said.

“Oh you’re a teenage man with access to the internet,” Des said with a smirk, “I doubt you haven’t seen two men kiss before.”

“I don’t like what you’re implying,” Alfendi said, his face going red.

“Descole, hush,” Dimitri said playfully. “Kat doesn’t need to hear this.”

Katrielle wasn’t paying Any attention to the two men, and was instead studying a lamp.

“I’ve got it!” She said suddenly, surprising Dimitri. “The answer is three feet tall!”

“What?” Dimitri said, confused, whilst descole laughed.

“Hershel likes to leave puzzles around his house,” Des explained. “Once I visited about a month ago and he had one underneath my cup of tea. He’s a strange one, that Layton.”

“I hope you aren’t telling Dimitri bad things about me,” Layton said, serving Dimitri and Des their tea.

“Oh I was just enlightening him of the fact you leave puzzles everywhere,” Descole joked. “Speaking of which, have you heard  _ this  _ puzzle before?”

The group spent the next hour and a half chatting about puzzles, and about life in general. Then, Des thought it was time to leave.

“It’s truly been great,” he told Hershel as he stood up, “but it appears that it is time for us to depart. I’ll see you at work on Monday, will I not?”

“That you will,” Hershel answered with a chuckle. “It was great to see you again, and it was great to meet Dimitri again. I wish you a pleasant rest of the day.”

“Buh-by, uncle Des!” Katrielle shouted, waving her arms. 

“See you, maybe,” Alfendi said.

“Come on, Dimitri,” Des said, yanking his partner’s arm. They left the house and went into Des’s car. Des got in, and then laughed.

“What’s so funny, Descole?” Dimitri asked, confused.

“You still have my mark on your neck I gave you yesterday,” Descole said. “It was extremely visible. You just  _ love  _ to flaunt our relationship, don’t you?”

Dimitri’s face went red. “Why didn’t you  _ tell  _ me? Now Hershel’s going to think we- that I-”

“-that we had sex or something?” Descole laughed again. “He’s too naive. Alfendi might think so, but Hershel probably just thought you got hit with something. Don’t worry,” Descole said as Dimitri’s face got redder, “If you truly don’t like it, I can help you cover it with foundation or something. Although if we do that I’ll need foundation for your skin tone, as it’s lighter than mine…”

Dimitri smiled and laughed.

“Actually, I kinda don’t mind,” he said. “I mean, I know you can probably clobber anyone who tries to give me a hard time, and that both soothes my nerves and makes me a tad bit worried. Once we get back home, I’m giving  _ you  _ a mark. Then we’ll be even.”

“Alright,” Des laughed. “If you truly insist.”

And the two joked around until they got back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update, I’ve been busy lately. If you ever wanna ask Desmitri anything, I made a tumblr ask blog for them!  
> https://askdesmitri.tumblr.com/post/634722691539206144/hello-hello-hello-im-jean-descole-but-please  
> ♥️♥️♥️


	7. More Sugar, Spice, and everything nice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri marks Des.  
> Des helps Dimitri.  
> Dr Robotnik appears (ok not really but he looks like him according to my dad lol)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More spicy content ahead.  
> You have been warned.  
> I just love this pair so much.  
> It gives me the happiness chemicals.

🕐🕑🕒

Dimitri went right to it, once they got into Descole’s house. Descole  _ clearly  _ hadn’t expected it, so his eyes went wide as Dimitri kissed him.

Descole pushed Dimitri off long enough to say “At  _ least  _ wait until we reach the couch…”

Dimitri smiled. He felt oddly comfortable in his current situation. Like he was protected from all bad things because he was with Descole. He felt giddy and… slightly aroused. He had to push any thoughts about Descole that went farther than kissing into the back of his mind. He could discuss these plans later.  _ Now  _ was the time to get even.

“You didn’t strike me as the dominant type,” Des said, as Dimitri kissed his neck.

“Oh, I very much am not,” Dimitri said. “But I’m making an exception,  _ just  _ this once.”

“You precious little flower you,” Descole said. “Do get this done quickly so we can go about the rest of our day.”

“If you so wish,” Dimitri said, and he left a mark on Descole’s neck.

“I love you, Dimitri,” Descole said, hugging the man.

“I love you too, Descole,” Dimitri responded.

The rest of the day was very nice, although Dimitri had to restrain himself from jumping on Descole.  _ What is going on with me, _ Dimitri thought to himself while he was getting ready for bed.  _ Why do I feel so… giddy and… happy? _

Dimitri sighed to himself, and went to find Des. Maybe he could help explain things to him.

He found his boyfriend in quite the situation. He had opened the door to the bedroom to find Descole in the middle of changing.

“Eep!” Dimitri said, unable to stop his eyes from instinctively looking his partner up and down. “I’m so sorry!” His face was flushed.

“Knock next time, will you?” Descole laughed, holding his shirt in front of his… you know.

“So, you’re above average, eh?” Dimitri said with a smirk. 

“How should  _ I  _ know?” Des responded, face going red. “Could you please leave while i get dressed? That is, unless you want a naked man sleeping next to you.”

“Oh, right,” Dimitri said, remembering what he wanted to ask about in the first place. “Once you’re ready, I have some… things… I want to discuss.”

Dimitri left the room, and came back in about five minutes later.

He was greeted with quite the sight.

Descole, in a raven onesie.  _ Descole in a raven onesie  _ **_DESCOLE IN A RAVEN ONESIE_ ** .

Dimitri couldn’t help but let out a laugh. He felt very much unlike his normal self, but was weirdly ok with it.

“Ah!” Des laughed upon seeing Dimitri. “Come here, didn’t you say you had things to discuss with me?”

“Yeah, I did.” Dimitri sat down on the bed, and looked descole in the eyes. “I’m… really happy.”

Descole chuckled. “That’s good!”

“No,” Dimitri said, “I mean I’m  _ really  _ happy. I don’t know why. I don’t feel like myself, is all. I feel all… warm. Like… like a fever. My stomach hurts, and… and I feel happy. Like I could do anything.”

Descole let out another chuckle. “I think you’re describing love, my dear.”

“Is… is love supposed to hurt?” Dimitri asked, slightly scared.

“No!” Descole responded surprisedly. “It shouldn’t! Why is it hurting?”

“I just feel…” how should he word this?  _ Useless? Undeserving? Unlovable? _ “...like I don’t deserve you. Like… you’re up in the sky while I’m down on the ground. Sure, there’s ways to get up into the sky, but I have no idea where to start.”

“Oh, Dimitri,” Des said with a smile, “If I’m up in the sky, so are you! The pillar I stand on is, and forever shall be, big enough for the both of us. There’s no way I would let the one I love more than anyone else be trapped on the ground. I would want to show  _ you  _ the sky too! And that’s because I  _ love  _ you. My love for you goes deeper than just thinking you’re hot, which you  _ are,  _ by the way. I love the way you smile when you see me. I love the way you always manage to fix broken machinery. I love the way you ask me to sing to you each night, and how you fall asleep each time. I love how you live, how you breathe, how you do  _ everything! _ But most importantly,” and Descole grabbed Dimitri’s hands, “I love how  _ you  _ love  _ me. _ ”

“You… truly think that way?” Dimitri asked, blushing from all the emotion.

“Of  _ course  _ I do!” Des said. He grabbed Dimitri’s arms and gracefully placed them on his shoulders. He then placed his own arms on Dimitri’s. “I love you more than words can express.”

“So do I,” Dimitri said. The knot in his stomach came undone as he stared into the eyes of the Love of his life.

They shared a warm, tender, and loving kiss. Their arms locked around each other, their lips pressed together. The small opening that appeared, that descole quickly took advantage of.

Dimitri felt the odd and unfamiliar sensation of a tongue in his mouth. He let out a light moan, enjoying it. He let his own tongue join the fray, and they stayed there. Locked in each other’s embrace. Playing a game of tonsil hockey that neither wanted to lose. Eventually, however, the time came for the game to end, and Dimitri lost.

He broke away, smiling.

“What’s up with your goofy smile, dear?” Des asked with an equally silly look on his face.

“That was…” Dimitri couldn’t quite think of the right word, so he went with “Amazing.”

“Anything for  _ you,  _ my dear.”

“It’s time for bed, however,” Dimitri said, disappointed. “Maybe we can do more fun stuff tomorrow?”

“Deal,” Descole said.

They laughed, Descole sang his lullabies, and Dimitri drifted off to sleep…

👑🎭👑

“...descole…”

“...Descole…”

“...Des… Descole…”

Descole woke up to find Dimitri mumbling in his sleep. 

_ Oh that’s so sweet, _ Descole thought, hearing Dimmy say his name,  _ He really  _ does  _ love me. _

Des glanced over at the clock.

It was 5 am.

He should go back to sleep, but why would he when he could listen to Dimitri sleep talk?

“...I love you… Descole…” Dimitri murmured. “...Kiss me, Descole.”

Des saw a smile form on Dimitri’s face. Evidently, he had gotten his wish in the dream. Des sighed and watched the sleeping man. 

“Get over here, Des,” Dimitri said. “I want you to…” Dimitri’s face turned sour. “No- wait-not now!”

Descole could tell that something was wrong.

“NO!” Dimitri was having a terrible nightmare. “NO! NOT DESCOLE! NOT ANOTHER CLAIRE!”

“Dimitri! Wake up!” Des shook Dimitri awake, and then gave him a hug. “You were having a nightmare,” Des explained to a startled Dimitri. “Don't worry, I’m here now.”

“Descole, thank you.” Dimitri kissed Des’s forehead. “I thought that maybe the nightmares would be done, but of course not.”

“Would you feel comfortable sharing them?” Des hugged Dimitri tighter. “It might help.”

“Ok, I suppose,” Dimitri said. “In this particular nightmare, you were Claire. You stepped into the time machine, and you… well… you were about to die. That’s when you woke me up.”

“Oh Dimitri,” Des said, hugging the man even harder, “Don’t worry, I’m right here. I would  _ never  _ leave you, alright? Do you hear me?”

“...but what if-”

“No “what if’s””, Descole said, looking Dimitri in the eyes. “This is a promise. An oath from me to you. I will never leave you, ever. I love you so much that I can’t properly express my love for you.  _ I will never leave you _ , alright?”

“Th-thank you,” Dimitri said. The taller man buried his face in Descole’s chest and cried. Des heard every heartbreaking sob, saw every sorrowful tear. He didn’t stop the man, as he knew better than most that sometimes it’s best to let yourself cry for a bit. Des ran his fingers through Dimitri’s hair, comforting him.

“There there,” he said soothingly, “let it out. There’s no shame in crying every now and then. Just let your emotions come out. I’m right here.”

After about a quarter of an hour, Dimitri dried his eyes with his sleeve and turned away from des.

“Do you need anything else, dear,” Descole asked. “Hug? Kiss? Water?”

“Some water might be nice,” Dimitri said, a weak smile on his face.

“Tell you what,” Des said, an idea coming to mind, “I’ll get you water, then I have something for you.”

Without another word, Descole left to get water. Before bringing it back to Dimitri however, he grabbed something from his walk-in closet. He chuckled, imagining Dimitri wearing it, then brought it to his bedroom.

Dimitri drank the water and was just turning over to sleep when Descole put something fluffy around his neck.

“What-what is this?” Dimitri asked, startled.

“It’s a boa,” Des responded with a laugh. “I thought you might like it. You can’t see it in this darkness, but it’s reddish orange like your brooch. When I’m away, you can have this to remember me by.”

“Thank you, Descole,” Dimitri said, smiling. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Des said. He kissed Dimitri on the forehead and laid back down.

Sleep came easy…

🕐🕑🕒

Morning came and went. Dimitri was just chilling, working on the musenergy machine, when he heard Des call out to him.

“Hey, sweetie? Can you bring up an Allen wrench? Paul needs one!”

Confused as to who paul was, but not one to disobey direct orders, Dimitri found one he wasn’t using and went upstairs.

There, sitting on the couch (much to Descole’s displeasure) was…

“Why the hell is  _ he _ here?” Don Paolo said, anger and surprise in his voice.

“ _ This _ is the “wacky inventor” that lives across the street?” Dimitri asked.

“Ok is this going to keep happening,” Des said, half over this, half amused. “Is there going to  _ always  _ be this “spider man pointing meme” moment whenever I introduce you to someone new, Dimmy? Is there anyone  _ else _ I might know that you also know?”

“No…” Dimitri said.  _ What is a meme?  _ “But Don paolo here was sorta… I kinda hired him to disguise himself as various people during the future London Incident.”

“Yeah,” Paul scoffed, “And the pay was shit. Just gimme the wrench, and I’ll be on my way.”

“Yes  _ please, _ ” descole said. “I don’t want you getting grime and grease all over my good furniture.”

“Umm… okay then.” Dimitri handed the wrench to Don Paolo, who then promptly left without so much as a “goodbye”.

“He’s a strange one, that Paul,” Des laughed.

“He  _ sure  _ is,” Dimitri agreed. “Now, I’ll get back to making the necessary modifications to the musenergy machine. It should be ready for testing by tomorrow!”

He went back into the workshop and worked. He was just about to call it a day when he noticed something stuck between the gears.

It was a small crystal on a chain.

_ That’s odd,  _ Dimitri thought to himself, examining it,  _ I don’t remember  _ that  _ being there… _

He decided to bring it to Descole, thinking that his archeology knowledge could help identify what type of gem it was. He found his partner, and handed him the chain.

“I found this,” Dimitri said, “It was stuck in the musenergy machine. Do you know what kind of gem this is?”

“Oh,” descole looked at the stone. He turned it over in his hand, mumbling something under his breath. Eventually, he handed it back to Dimitri. “It’s a pink pezzottaite. They’re quite rare… I don’t recall ever owning any though, much less putting one on a metal chain… Is this yours?”

“No,” Dimitri said. “I thought it belonged to you.”

“Hmm… peculiar…” Des seemed to think hard about something, before clapping his hands and startling Dimitri. “Speaking of belongings, while I was preparing to pick you up from jail, I had your belongings moved to a storage unit not too far from here. We should go and get anything you might still want. Sound like a plan?”

“Umm…” Dimitri’s brain was still catching up with the abrupt change of subject, but he eventually responded with “sure, why not.”

“Great!” Des clapped his hands again. “Well, I’m just going to get some water, then we’re off!”

“Ok,” Dimitri said. He set the gemstone chain on his nightstand, having a suspicion it might be useful later. Then, he went out with Descole to get his things.

It was somewhat nice, being out of the house. What _ wasn’t  _ nice, however, was seeing  _ people. _

Dimitri wanted to get the trip over with so that he could get back to tinkering with the Musenergy machine.

When they got back home, that’s exactly what he did.

The rest of the day was relatively uneventful, as was the night.

Little did Dimitri know about what would happen the next day…

👑🎭👑

Descole woke up on Monday morning, and sighed. He had  _ work  _ that day. Grumbling to himself, he got dressed and ate some food. He bid Dimitri farewell and left for the school.

This time, he had a lecture on the Incident of the Specter’s Call, aka “let’s remind Descole of his past, part 2”.

He adjusted his tie out of nervous habit, then checked out his appearance in the rear view mirror.

_ Shit. _

He was still wearing his mask.

He had  _ never  _ forgotten to put on his glasses before. 

Oh no.

He looked in the glove compartment, and found his spare pair he kept in case of emergencies.

He slipped them on and put his mask where they used to be.

He let out a sigh of relief, and went into Gressenheller. He organized his notes, and headed for the lecture hall.

“Good morning class,” Desmond said, attempting a smile. “Today you will learn about the Incident of the Specter’s Call. I have gathered all the information available here today through my interviewing of many residents of Misthallery, along with Luke Triton, Emmeline Altava, Hershel Layton, and Jean Descole. I trust you are writing this down, as it may or may not be on the quiz. Now, the myth of the Specter is an old Misthallery legend. I will read it out loud, and you all should follow along on page 145 of your textbooks. Allow me to begin… 

_ Long ago in a lawless age… _ ”

About an hour and a half into the lecture, he heard his phone go off. He had evidently forgot to put it on silent, as it blared his ringtone.

“NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP,” the phone rang. Embarrassed, Des went to see who was calling him while he was busy.

It was… Dimitri.

“Excuse me, class,” Desmond said over their laughs, “I have to take this call.” He stepped out of the lecture hall, and answered…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess what happened?  
> Seriously, try.  
> I wanna know what y’all think is gonna happen


	8. A new addition to the family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri is confused.  
> Descole is confused.  
> Lots of confusion

🕐🕑🕒

What was he going to tell Des?

He wasn’t sure he even fully understood the situation himself, so he doubted he would be able to  _ explain  _ it.

Des was off at work… What would he think?

Dimitri looked at the result of the latest machine experiment.

The machine was  _ supposed  _ to convert music into energy, but it instead… created a living,  _ breathing  _ girl.

“What the-” Dimitri couldn’t believe his eyes.

The girl had long blonde hair and a pale pink dress. He instinctively went to check for a pulse, and found it.

“Miss,” Dimitri said to the girl, “Are you awake? Can you hear me?”

The girl opened up her eyes. They were… eerily teal. She responded with a voice both sweet and scary.

“You are… Human?”

“ _ YOU  _ aren’t?” Dimitri said, startled by the question. “Are you alright? What’s your name?”

“I’m… Aurora,” The girl said. “I’m the last of the Azran Golems. I thought I died. Who are you, kind human?”

“I am Dimitri Allen,” he replied. “I’m sorry for bringing you here, it was an accident. What am I going to tell Des…”

“Des?” Aurora asked, sitting up. “Who is that?”

“My… My boyfriend,” Dimitri said. “Descole.”

“I remember that name,” Aurora said, and Dimitri’s ears perked up.

“You… Know him?” 

“He was the man who found me trapped in the ice,” Aurora said. “He helped reveal the Azran Legacy. He never mentioned a boyfriend…”

“Well, that little thing happened relatively recently,” Dimitri admitted with a guilty laugh, “but what we should focus on right now is making sure you’re okay. You aren’t injured, are you?”

“No,” the girl said. 

“Alright. Just… Stay there. I need to do something really quick…” Dimitri left the workshop and found his phone. He called Descole.

“What happened, Dimitri?” Descole asked worriedly. “Why are you calling me?”

“I might have accidentally summoned an ancient girl while trying to test a machine,” Dimitri said.

“What?” Des asked, astonished.

“She says her name is Aurora and she’s from the Azran. She seems to know you.”

“I’ll be right there,” Des said, “just watch her until I get home.” Des hung up, and Dimitri ran back into the workshop. There he saw aurora examining a machine that Dimitri had no idea of its purpose.

“Aurora, can you come with me?” He asked her, and she turned to him.

“Where?” She asked.

“Out of the workshop,” Dimitri answered. “I don’t want you being somewhere so dangerous, especially when you’ve only been here for 5 minutes.”

“Oh, right,” Aurora said. “Of course.”

Dimitri led the girl out of the workshop and into the living room.

“Take a seat, please,” Dimitri said. He was beyond confused at the situation, but tried his best to not to freak out. “Could… Could you please explain… why did you… appear?”

“I’m… Not quite sure how it happened,” Aurora admitted. “One moment, I wasn’t there, then… I heard a certain melody. It seemed to… call me. And then I ended up there.”

“It must’ve had something to do with the music that I used for a test trial of the Musenergy machine…” Dimitri was still thoroughly confused, but was starting to understand more. “There must’ve been some success in the testing then, as music itself wouldn’t produce such a result… but then again  _ this  _ isn’t exactly  _ normal. _ ” Dimitri muttered to himself for a few minutes, before realizing that Aurora was walking around the room.

“Aurora can you sit back down please,” Dimitri told the girl, worried. “I don’t want you to hurt yourself, or damage anything. I’m also still very confused…”

“Oh.” Aurora’s mind seemed elsewhere. “I’m sorry, I just remembered… The Azran Legacy. The Azran Eggs. The… The Golems. Everything that happened…”

“Don’t worry, Aurora,” Dimitri said, putting a hand on the girl’s shoulder and looking her in the eyes. “You’re going to be alright.” 

The door to the house burst open, and in came Descole, dressed as Desmond.

“I came as fast as I could-” Desmond said, then noticed Aurora. “Aurora! It… It  _ is  _ you!”

“Desmond!” Aurora said, and ran to hug the man. Dimitri stood by, awkwardly waiting for Des to notice him.

“What happened?” Des said, hands on Aurora’s shoulders and looking directly at her, “What brought you back?”

“Dimitri did,” Aurora answered, motioning at Dimitri.

“Yeah I’m still thoroughly confused on how the Musenergy machine brought her here…” Dimitri sighed. “Could one of you, or both of you, please explain how you know each other, and who exactly Aurora is?”

“Oh yeah,” Des said with a laugh. “I’ll do that. Just let me get my mask, then I’ll explain.”

“I’ll wait here, I suppose,” Dimitri said.

👑🎭👑

“...and so then she vanished.” Descole had just finished telling the story of the Azran Legacy, and how he knew Aurora. “And now she’s back, and she has a  _ lot  _ of things to learn…”

“Ok but what are we going to do with her?” Dimitri asked.

“Well,” Descole said, “You’ve started sleeping next to me in my bed, that leaves the guest room open… so maybe we could…”

“I have my doubts about your parenting skills,” Dimitri said.

“Well do you have any  _ better _ ideas?” Des asked, annoyed. “Also, I  _ have  _ had experience being a father.”

“Well I suppose that’s right, but-”

“No “buts”, Dimitri,” Des said. “We’re keeping her.” Des turned to Aurora, or at least where she had been seconds before. Apparently she had moved. “Where did she go?” Des then heard a loud  _ thump _ come from another room. He ran to make sure that whatever fell wasn’t Aurora, and let out a sigh of relief when he found out it was just a book.

Wait a minute, that was…

Descole quickly picked up the book and put it back where it belonged, blushing from embarrassment. Nobody needed to know about Des’s manga collection…

“Aurora,” Des said, turning to the girl, “I want to talk to you.”

“What is it, Desmond?” Aurora asked.

“Ok first thing, call me Descole or Des. Second,” and Descole looked away, “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?”

“...How I treated you during the Legacy Incident. I’m… I'm so sorry. You reminded me so much of my Violet that I… forgot you weren’t.”

“I met Violet,” Aurora said. Her eyes glowed, much to Descole’s surprise. “She says that she loves you, and hopes you live the rest of your life happy.”

“I…” Descole couldn’t believe it. “Did… did you happen to meet Olivia?”

“Unfortunately, No,” Aurora said. “Do not worry, she would say the same thing Violet did.”

“I’m…” and Descole found himself crying, “I’m just… so happy to see you again. Maybe… there’s still hope of me having a family…”

“There is,” Aurora said. “Do not worry.” Then she stopped glowing, and almost fell over, Des catching her. She had passed out.

_ There’s still hope, she said,  _ Des thought to himself.  _ Maybe this could be my family. _

Descole brought the girl into the guest bedroom, and laid her down on the bed. He double checked her pulse, making sure she was alright. He quickly wrote a little note for her to read when she got up again. He left the room, and went to search for Dimitri.

“Hey Dimmy,” He said to the man, “i was thinking, since aurora isn’t going anywhere, you could just move into my room. It would be best, that way you won’t have nightmares, I’ll have someone to hold, and Aurora can do her own things.”

“Do I have much of a choice?” Dimitri asked, then laughed. “I’m just joking, of course. To answer your question; why not? I mean, I don’t mind the arrangement.”

“Coolio,” Des said, then laughed.

“Hey,” Dimitri said, seeming to have pieced something together, “maybe that pezzottaite chain is hers! It matches her dress…”

“Oh!”  _ That’s  _ what it had reminded him of! “Yes! It  _ is  _ hers! I’ll give it to her later. In the meantime, I’m going to call my brother, then I’ll make some food. Love you!”

He left the room and called Hershel.

“Hey, top hat,” he said, “Something happened. Dimmy may or may not have revived someone from the dead. No, it’s not Claire. But anyways, just thought you should know.”

“Now wait a moment-”

“Love yah! Bye!” And Des hung up.

He liked to freak his brother out.

He was just finishing cooking some food, when he heard the doorbell ring. He quickly set the stuff down and went to answer the door.

“Who is it this time,” he said, then noticed it was Hershel. “Oh, hello brother. What brings you here? I thought you had work?”

“I managed to leave early,” Layton responded. “What we should focus on instead, is the fact you  _ revived someone from the dead _ . May I come in?”

“Fine,” Descole answered with a sigh. “I was just finishing making food for Dimmy and I. Wait in the dining room while I get Dimitri. Then you can talk to us while we eat, and by then the girl should be awake, so you can talk to her.”

“Wait,  _ girl _ ?” Hershel asked, surprised. “ _ Who?” _

“I’ll explain in a bit. Wait there.” Des quickly ran to get Dimitri. “Hey my brother decided to just… pop by because I told him about Aurora. I made you food, so come on and follow me!”

Descole dragged Dimitri into the dining room, where Layton had entered.

“You eat, Dimitri,” Des said, “while I take Hershey to see the girl.”

“Please refrain from calling me that,” Hershel said.

“Come on, she’ll be happy to meet you!”

Aurora and Hershel’s reunion was sweet. The girl ran to hug Layton, and quickly explained (to the best of her abilities) why she appeared.

“I’m very surprised to see you again, Aurora,” Layton said with a laugh. “Surprised, but happy nonetheless.”

“Um…” Aurora seemed nervous. “I’m not sure Aurora is a good name for me anymore… I’m no longer an Azran emissary, I’m… something else. Not quite human, yet not the golem you knew.”

“So basically what you are saying,” Des said with a laugh, “Is that you need a new name!”

“Descole!” Layton said sternly, “You shouldn’t just go naming her. That would mean you have to take care of her-”

“Layton,” Des said, “You adopt children all the time. But when  _ my boyfriend _ summons a child it’s all “how did that happen” and “you aren’t fit to be a father.””

“And about your boyfriend…” Layton started.

“If you can adopt kids off the side of the road, I can bail a boyfriend out of prison,” Descole answered matter-of-factly. “Bottom line: Dimitri  _ and  _ Aurora are staying, and  _ you  _ have no say in  _ my  _ decision.”

“I don’t “adopt kids off the side of the road!”” Layton said.

“Well, you’ve met Aurora again,” Des said, turning Hershel to leave, “we can talk more tomorrow. for now, please get out of my house. Love you.”

“But-what?” Hershel sputtered as Descole dragged him out of the house.

When Hershel finally left, Descole let out a sigh.

Well, he had a daughter now.

He just needed to figure out a name for her…

🎀🔷🎀

Aurora, or… well… she didn’t have a name yet, felt… odd. She wasn’t used to… being alive. She left her room and went to try and find Descole. She instead ran into Dimitri.

“Oh!” Dimitri said, “I’m sorry! Didn’t see you there. How are you feeling?”

“...I need a new name,” Aurora said. “Aurora doesn’t  _ feel  _ right. Maybe you could help?”

“I’ve never thought about ever having a child,” Dimitri said, “let alone what I would  _ name  _ them. Maybe you could find a name in a book?”

“I can’t read English,” Aurora said. 

“Oh. Well… Would you like help with that then?”

“Well… I  _ would  _ just  _ love  _ to maybe hear some of you human’s stories,” Aurora said. “Do you know where Des is?”

“Oh he’s in the workshop,” Dimitri said. “Don’t go in there, I’ll get him for you.”

A few minutes later, Des appeared.

“What is it, Aura?” Des asked.

“I… need a new name…”

“How about Anastasia?” Des suggested. “It’s poetic, it starts with an “A”, it means “resurrection”, what’s not to love about it?”

“Anastasia it is, then,” the girl said. “Thank you.”

_ Anastasia. _

_ Her new name. _

_ It fit her just right. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...so....  
> Aurora, or, I should say, Anastasia is now a part of the Desmitri fam! That’s 3/4 of them!   
> Who’s going to be the fourth?   
> Why would I spoil it?  
> Thanks for reading!  
> I’ve had so much fun with this!!!!


	9. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Self-explanatory

Hey guys!

thank you SOOOO MUCH for reading my fic!   
I’ve decided that, since we’ve reached a good enough stopping point, that I’m done with this fic.

im not done with this AU, oh no no no.

im just moving from a large fic to a bunch of one-off fics.

you might have seen a few already, in fact.

I’m going to work on putting them all in a series together so that you can read all my Desmitri stories easier.

thanks for reading, and for all the support!

❤️❤️❤️

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the hits on this fic.  
> Once again, this isn’t the end of Desmitri, it’s simply an end to this particular fic.


End file.
